Student dragged police officer past Edinburgh Festival crowds after hitting him with car

Elliot Lees, 22, drove his car at speed in a busy pedestrian-only area in the capital’s city centre during last year’s festival when he crashed into PC Ben Merrick.

The officer was dragged along the city’s Cowgate before Lees “panicked” and sped off leaving Constable Merrick lying injured.

The student waschased by police after ditching his white Vauxhall Corsa in a nearby alleyway and tried to kick an officer in the head while escaping over a six foot fence.

Lees evaded capture but was arrested two hours later at his flat at the city’s Lochrin Terrace.

Shocking CCTV footage of the incident was shown to Edinburgh Sheriff Court where Lees pleaded guilty to a dangerous driving and attempting to evade arrest.

Prosecutor Calum Thomson said the Cowgate was closed to traffic between 7pm and 5am during the festival with the footage showing hundreds of people packed into the street.

Mr Thomson said: “Around 3.24am a Vauxhall Corsa was being driven at the Cowgate in Edinburgh and at that time the Edinburgh Festival was in full swing.

“The vehicle is observed being driven by two constables who are on uniformed foot patrol. The white vehicle is seen travelling towards both constables at speed.

“There is the initial contact with the officer and secondly, the pedestrian here has to take evasive action as the vehicle travels towards him at speed.”

The footage shows Lees colliding with PC Merrick and dragging him along the road speeding off.

Lees is then seen abandoning the vehicle and attempting to make his escape.

Mr Thomson added: “He makes off towards Hunter’s Close and on arrival there PC Martin Oakes shouts at the accused to stop.

“The accused jumped onto a gate and PC Oakes has grabbed his trailing leg and the accused has began to flail his legs in close proximity to PC Oakes face.”

Officers traced Lees to his nearby home at around 5am and he admitted being the driver of the car.

Constable Merrick suffered scrapes to his arm and elbow and also had a numb knee due to the collision but escaped serious injury.

Lawyer Joe Boyd, defending, said Lees was a fourth year actuarial science student at Heriot Watt University and his conduct that night had been “dangerous and irresponsible”.

Mr Boyd added: The date is the middle of the Edinburgh International Festival and it is a congested area. But he had not driven in that area before or at that time of day.

“He was not aware of the actual restrictions.

“The officer motioned for him to stop and he hadn’t the stopped and he sped off - he did that because he panicked.”

Sheriff Adrian Cottam gave Lees an interim driving ban and deferred sentence to next month.

Lees pleaded guilty to driving dangerously, striking PC Merrick on the body with his vehicle and dragging him along the road to his injury at Cowgate, Edinburgh, on August 10 last year.

He also admitted to running way from officers and while climbing a fence repeatedly attempting to kick PC Oakes on the head at Hunter’s Close, Edinburgh, on the same date.

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