Edinburgh 'severed head' claims explained - facts so far as police issue warning

A 74-year-old man died after - and now police have issued an urgent plea about the incident.

At around 7:25 p.m. on Saturday, November 2, police responded to the incident in the Cowgate area of . A number of roads were closed, and people were told to vacate the vicinity while an investigation took place.

Disturbing images and clips shared on social media in the aftermath claimed to show a 'severed head' on the street following the incident - and one top boss has now urged members of the public to report them and not to share them with others.

Sergeant Louise Birrell, of Police 's road policing unit, Edinburgh, said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the man who died. Extensive inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of this incident.

"Officers have spoken to a number of people who were in the area at the time and work is ongoing to check public and private CCTV footage. We are still keen to hear from anyone who has not yet spoken to police. If you have any information about what happened, then please get in touch."

Here we look at all the facts we know so far as the incident unfolds.

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'Severed head'

Police were forced to call on the public to stop sharing viral pictures and videos after the incident in the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town.

Disturbing images claiming to show a 'severed head' have circulated on social media, causing distress to the victim's family.

Chief inspector Trisha Clark, the local area commander, said: "We are aware of videos and images circulating on social media which are causing distress to the deceased's family and those viewing them inadvertently. We would ask members of the public not to share them out of respect for his family, and to report them to the relevant social media platform to prevent further circulation.

"There has been a lot of speculation, and I would like to reassure the local community that this was an isolated incident and there is no risk to the wider public. This was a tragic incident. We are investigating a crash, and our road policing officers, assisted by local officers, are continuing to carry out inquiries."

Club owner forced to address rumours

The owner of a popular nightclub has dismissed vile social media rumours that he was the victim of the fatal incident. Edinburgh's Liquid Rooms owner, John 'Mick' McWilliams, posted a video to debunk and to confirm he had not died in the tragedy.

Businessman McWilliams took to social media and said: "Good morning everyone, it's 11.45am and yes, I am still alive. My condolences go out to whoever did die in the Grassmarket last night. I can assure you I am alive and kicking." He added: "Social media, such a dangerous thing. This has upset so many people."

What eyewitnesses say...

Eyewitnesses in the Cowgate area described feeling "scared" after seeing the large police presence on Saturday night. A restaurant owner from Edinburgh, Roy, who did not wish to give his surname, described the atmosphere as "very intense and quiet" after seeing flashing blue lights from emergency vehicles.

The 40-year-old finished work at around 7.45pm, and managed to capture images of police cars lining the street. "Half a dozen police cars were blocking Cowgate," he said. "I felt scared under the strong blue light and sure something really bad must have happened. I did stop a while but couldn’t see anything so I left.

"The atmosphere was very intense and quiet compared to a normal Saturday night, which is full of music in Cowgate." Katie McLaughlin, from Dumfries, shared her experience of being trapped in Bannerman's Bar, saying staff had to direct them to exit through a rear door due to the closure mandated by law enforcement.

She said: "We were in Bannermans having a drink and went to leave but a member of the staff stopped us. He said police were outside and a severed head had been found in the Cowgate. I almost laughed because it's Halloween weekend and I thought it was a prank. We went to the bar where the staff said, no, it's real.

"They said that the police had ordered them to shut the pub. They then let us all leave by the back door but we were able to have a look down the street. I saw three police cars and five police officers and a small silver tent. The police were taping off the area. We are in another pub now. The whole area is sealed off. It just seems so surreal."

Meanwhile, Mason Dowie, 29, a bartender from Edinburgh was enjoying a night out at the BrewDog pub in Cowgate when he saw around six emergency vehicles and police cordoning off the intersection of Cowgate and Grassmarket.

Mr Dowie said he went outside to vape before he "found the street cordoned off" and took a picture of several police officers in the area. "I reacted with curiosity more than anything else," he said. "There was a fairly large presence around. A big team of white hats arrived – I presume they’re the forensics guys. I’d say there were maybe five or six vehicles, with more arriving throughout the night."

Edinburgh's Road Policing Unit Sergeant Louise Birrell commented: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the man who died. Extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of this incident. Officers have spoken to a number of people who were in the area at the time and work is ongoing to check public and private CCTV footage.

"We are still keen to hear from anyone who has not yet spoken to police. If you have any information about what happened, then please get in touch. Anyone with information is asked to call the police via 101. Please quote incident number 3395 of Saturday, 2 November 2024."