The horrific moment Halloween revellers appear to pick up and squat over the head of man who was decapitated in Edinburgh has been seen by The Daily Star.
The identity of the person who the head belongs to has not been confirmed. The incident comes on the same day that Police Scotland confirmed that a 74-year-old pensioner had been killed after being hit by a single-decker bus.
In the astonishing footage, a group of revellers in brightly-coloured fancy dress outfits walk past what is believed to be the head as it lies in the road. One of the group picks it up by the hair as they walk, before putting it back down.
(Image: handout)
A second member of the group then appears to squat over the object before they continue with their evening in the popular night-out neighbourhood of Cowgate.
Other pieces of shocking imagery appear to show a severed head lying against the kerb, although most of the circulated images have been covered up with blue markings.
Now, Police Scotland has encouraged people not to further share or distribute the images in a bid to protect the deceased’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.
(Image: daily record)
“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 enquiries.”