THE managing director of a funeral directing company has spoken out after a “disgraceful” incident left the window of their hearse smashed.
Last week, Porteous Family Funeral Directors shared that they had been subject to an act of vandalism on their way to a funeral.
Their hearse, carrying a coffin to Warriston Crematorium, had its back window completely shattered by a seemingly random attack.
The incident is being investigated by police as the director, Mark Porteous, believes the attack to have been targeted either at their vehicle or one close by.
Porteous Family Funeral Directors posted to social media yesterday, saying: “On our way to a funeral last week, our funeral colleagues experienced a shocking act of vandalism.
“Our hearse, which was carrying a coffin to Warriston Crematorium for a service, had its back window completely smashed with stones launched from an unknown location on Longstone Road.
“This deliberate damage was not just an attack on a vehicle which could have caused our funeral team risk of serious injury, but more importantly, is an appalling sign of disrespect towards the deceased and their grieving family.
“Funerals are the very last opportunity for family and friends to remember and celebrate the lives of their loved ones and such actions undermine the dignity and respect that should be given to someone who has died and those in our communities who are mourning.
“Sadly, however, it is very much a modern reflection of the lack of compassion and understanding we experience regularly.
“This can be in the form of verbal aggression, gestures and overall frustration from other drivers, while simply trying to carry out our duties as funeral directors.
“We condemn this disgraceful behaviour, and this matter has been passed to Police Scotland for investigation.
“In the meantime, if you witnessed this act, which took place on 13 March at approximately 2:30pm on Longstone Road, or were passing in a car that might have dashcam footage, please contact us as a matter of urgency.”
Mark has confirmed that though the coffin was in the hearse at the time, it was not damaged and the family were not present to see the incident, though they were made aware that it happened.
Now, the company is left with repair costs for the damaged hearse, which come to around £3,000.
Mark said today: “An incident like this hasn’t happened before, so my colleagues were quite shocked.
“We’ve had problems during processions, like people beeping their horns or sticking their fingers up, but it seems to have gotten worse recently.
“The flip side is a lot of old-school people stop to take their hats off or bow their heads as we pass.
“This has definitely been someone, in my opinion, who targeted the hearse – that’s being investigated by police.
“They could also have been targeting a nearby bus, but it was definitely targeted as there were three stones thrown.
“In my opinion, this has come from a slingshot, and due to the size of the stones that seems definite.
“When it happened, two bus drivers were in the street having a chat, and when my driver got out, they all looked in the same direction, but no one was running or driving away.
“This wasn’t someone in the street, I think it came from a dwelling. You would see someone running away otherwise. Perhaps they either ran behind a house or into a house.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said today: “Around 2:50pm on Thursday, 13 March, 2025, officers were made aware of damage caused to a vehicle on Longstone Road, Edinburgh.
“Enquiries are ongoing.”