Man arrested over alleged incident with councillor is released without charge

A man arrested after a councillor reported being assaulted while out leafleting in Edinburgh has been released without charge.

Councillor Kevin Lang said he was “very shaken up” after being confronted by a man “hurling verbal abuse” at him as he was delivering leaflets in his Almond ward at about 11.10am on Sunday.

Mr Lang, who leads Edinburgh council’s Liberal Democrat group, alleged the man “put his hand up to my throat and he then pushed the leaflet down the top of my shirt”.

Police later said they arrested a 65-year-old man in connection with the incident.

On Monday, a spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: “The person has been released without charge and inquiries are now complete.”

Responding to this on Monday, Mr Lang said he was very grateful to police who responded so quickly to the incident.

He said: “I’ve been touched by the many messages of sympathy and support, not just from other Liberal Democrats but from councillors and parliamentarians in all the other major political parties.

“For my part, I am determined to get on with the job people have elected me to do.

“I love being a councillor so I’ll be back out in my ward throughout this week serving my constituents.”