By Karrie Gillett
POLICE are investigating two separate unprovoked attacks which left two victims needing hospital treatment.
In the first assault, a 19-year-old man was stabbed in the stomach by an attacker who stole his headphones.
The man was walking home in the Blackford area of Edinburgh in the early hours of Monday morning after a night out in the city when he felt a blow to his abdomen.
He passed out for several seconds as he lay on West Saville Terrace but when he regained consciousness he noticed he was bleeding from his left side.
After dialling an ambulance, paramedics found a small puncture wound on his abdomen and took him to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary (ERI) for treatment.
Detective Constable Conrad Lamb, based at Craigmillar police station, is leading the inquiry into the attack.
He said: “The victim was listening to music and was not aware of anyone approaching him.
“We’ve interviewed him and we’re sure that this was a completely unprovoked and motiveless attack.
“This is a very unusual crime to have happened in this area.”
Later that day, three men attacked a cyclist by knocking him off his bike and then kicking him as he lay on the ground.
The 30-year-old man was approached by a car as he cycled along a street in the Leith of the capital around midnight on Monday.
The victim was kicked off his bike by the attackers before they carried out repeated assaults as he lay on the ground on Madeira Street.
After the unprovoked attack – which happened at 11.45pm – the men then jumped back into the vehicle and drove off.
The cyclist was taken to the ERI where he was treated for shoulder injuries.
A spokesman from Lothian and Borders Police appealed for anyone with information to contact them.
He said: “This was an apparently unprovoked attack that left the victim badly shaken and requiring hospital treatment.
“We are appealing for anyone who witnessed the assault to contact police as a matter of urgency.
“Similarly, anyone who has any information that can help us identify the suspects should also get in touch.”
The men are all described as white, 20 to 22-years-old, of average build, and wearing jeans and tops.
