Police hunt two men after attempted dognapping and assault

Two men are wanted by police after they tried to steal a dog from another man before assaulting him with a knife.

The 43-year-old was walking his dog in a field near National Cycle Route 75 and Lanark Road West in Balerno, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, when he was approached by the two men.

One of them tried to take the dog from the owner and the other man assaulted him with the knife some time between 5.15pm and 5.30pm on Tuesday February 13, police said.

The owner was later taken to hospital by ambulance for treatment. The two men were last seen heading towards Ravelrig Road.

The first man is described as white, about 50 years of age, of stocky build, 5ft 6in tall with a ginger greying beard.

He spoke with a local accent and is believed to have been wearing a black, thermal, beanie hat and a black, puffer jacket at the time of the incident.

The second man is described as white with a slim build, between 20 and 30 years of age, 5ft 10in tall and clean shaven.

He was said to be wearing a black jacket with green writing, pale blue denim jeans, tan-coloured boots and a hat.

Detective Inspector Martin Smith, of Edinburgh CID, said: “This appears to be an attempt to rob the man of his dog, and it is vital that we establish the full circumstances of what happened and trace the men responsible.

“I would like to speak to anyone who was in the area between 5pm and 6pm on Tuesday who saw or heard anything suspicious.

“Similarly, anyone with private CCTV, doorbell footage or dashcam of the area is urged to review the footage and bring anything significant to our attention.

“Officers will be carrying out additional patrols in the area and anyone with any concerns can approach these officers.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident 2591 of Tuesday February 13.