Death of man found on street treated as suspicious
THE death of a man who was found lying in a busy street in broad daylight is now being treated as suspicious.
An incident room has been set up by police who earlier this week thought that James Glendenning, 29, had simply fallen.
However, after investigating his injuries they believe he may have been the victim of an assault and are appealing for more witnesses to come forward.
Mr Glendenning was discovered on Wednesday, July 4 on London Road at 1.40pm. He eventually died from his injuries six days later in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
Police are anxious to trace a student nurse who was thought to be first on the scene as Mr Glendenning lay on a patch of grassland on London Road opposite Windsor Street.
Detective Inspector Richard Thomas, based at Gayfield, said they had already spoken to one key witness and now wanted to speak to the female to establish more of a picture.
He said: “It’s currently being treated as suspicious death which is to say we do not know he has come to be in this position.
“There are certain aspects that look as if it may been an assault and we’ve yet to establish that.
“It was presumably a busy area and at 1.40pm but we don’t think he was there for terribly long.”
DI Thomas said the police were not currently treating it as a murder investigation.
He added: “There appears to be injuries on the body which are not consistent with the case that he had fallen.
“We would urge anyone who knows Mr Glendenning or thinks they may have seen him prior to his admission to hospital to get in touch.
“We need to build up a picture of what he was doing and who he was with in the 24-hour period before he was discovered lying injured in London Road.
“The young woman, who we think was a student nurse, is described as in her 20s with short dark hair and a yellow T-shirt.”
On Wednesday police are due to approach people who may have been in the same place a fortnight before to gain more information.
DI Thomas said it was also possible passers-by may not have realised Mr Glendenning was dying and they may have thought he was sleeping on the grassy area.
Mr Glendenning was described as white, 5ft 10in, slim, clean shaven with long, brown hair.
The student nurse assisted the dead man until an ambulance arrived, but at that point left the scene.
Police believe she may hold key information.
“We’ve spoken to one man already who came on the scene shortly after,” DI Thomas added. “We think the young woman may have known how long he was there for or be able to tell us more.
“We would appeal to any members of the public who may have seen anything to contact us on 0131 311 3131 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
