Edinburgh Cowgate victim named by police after horror bus crash

Michael Leneghan, 74, has been named as the man who passed away.

A pensioner who died of catastrophic injuries after being struck by a bus in Edinburgh’s Cowgate area has been named by police as Michael Leneghan.

The pensioner, who lived in the city, was decapitated after being struck by a single decker bus on the evening of Saturday, November 2. The city was busy with revellers celebrating Halloween at the time, with many of them in fancy dress. The 74-year-old was beheaded at around 7.25pm.

Drinkers were locked in pubs as officers locked down the surrounding area while investigating the ghastly incident.

A forensic officer investigates next to a tent within the cordon.
A forensic officer investigates next to a tent within the cordon. (Image: Reach PLC.)

Police Scotland officers are continuing to investigate the horror incident. His family released a statement today through police. It said: “We wish to thank all the members of the public and emergency services involved.

“We would now ask for privacy at this time.”

Sergeant Paul Ewing, of the Road Policing Unit in Edinburgh, said: “Our thoughts remain with Michael’s family and friends, as well as everyone affected by this tragic incident. Our enquiries remain ongoing. We have already 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.”

Gruesome footage of the aftermath of the incident went viral on social media, with Police Scotland Chief inspector Trisha Clark issuing a warning over the horror content, which was shared widely on X, formerly Twitter.

Police Scotland officers next to the cordon.
Police Scotland officers next to the cordon. (Image: Reach PLC.)

She said: “We are aware of videos and images circulating on social media which are causing distress to the deceased’s family. 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 told previously how the social media platform was slammed over the heartbreaking imagery. Many Scots complained directly to X and online over videos and photographs which showed the tragic pensioner’s headless corpse and severed head.

But X, owned by global entrepreneur Elon Musk, claimed the footage was not in breach of their sensitive media policy. A message to complainers stated: “Thanks for…using your voice to make X better for everyone.

“After review, we want to let you know (the user) hasn’t broken our sensitive media rule. We allow sensitive content — like consensually produced adult content, graphic imagery and violence — in posts as long as it doesn’t break our sensitive media policy.

“What can you do? If you don’t want to see sensitive media on X, you can update your sensitive media settings. Please report child sexual exploitation and non-consensual nudity separately.

“And if there’s sexual violence in this post, please report it as violent. We have zero tolerance for those kinds of behaviours.” And we also told how revellers were locked in pub after the drama unfolded.

Katie McLaughlin and pals were locked in the city’s Bannerman’s Bar at around 8pm and had to leave via the back door due to the ongoing police probe.

Police at the scene.
Police at the scene. (Image: Mason Dowie/x.com.)

Katie, of Dumfries, 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. It just seems so surreal.”

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