Death of boy, 5, suspicious, say police

Two children have been found dead in separate incidents in Edinburgh and Newbury over Christmas.

Yesterday, a five-year-old boy was found dead at an address in Leith, Edinburgh. Police are treating the death as "suspicious".

Lothian and Borders Police were alerted after a woman was found injured on the pavement outside the address, which has not yet been disclosed. The woman was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment. Her injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, police said.

A retired minister in the Leith area of the city said he was devastated to hear of the boy's death. Alistair McGregor, who retired from North Leith Parish Church in October, said: "There have been a lot of people who have moved into the area in recent years but Leith is a close community and people will be devastated to hear about this.

"People would say they were from Leith first, and Edinburgh second. To hear of any five-year-old boy dying on Christmas Day is a disaster," he said.

One neighbour, François Vilmot, 31, a local barman, said that police had told him that a woman had fallen from a third-floor flat at about 8am. He said three police and forensic officers were working around the scene at the entrance to the apartment block at 10am.

Mr Vilmot said: "They must have been there for a very long time because they came round to ask me questions at maybe 3pm. I didn't know this person because I've never seen her, but at 8am she fell from the window of the top flat."

The incident was thought to have happened on the inside of the quadrangle of modern buildings, many with small balconies and private parking.

In the other incident, a nine-year-old boy was found hanging in his bedroom at his home in Newbury, Berkshire, on Christmas Eve. The boy failed to regain consciousness despite emergency treatment from paramedics, Thames Valley Police said.