A teenager, 19, has been charged after a soldier was allegedly held hostage and attacked on a Tinder date.
Cobhan Mclelland, 18, is being treated in hospital for his injuries after he was allegedly abducted in the early hours of Sunday.
His family said he arranged to meet up with a woman at a property in Edinburgh but when he arrived, another man allegedly assaulted him and refused to let him leave.
Cobhan’s family said he has experienced ‘life-changing trauma’ and is receiving specialist care for both wounds and burns.
Police Scotland confirmed it was called to a property in Edinburgh shortly after 6am on Sunday ‘following a disturbance within’ it.
‘Specialist officers attended and the incident was concluded safely at around 8.05am,’ added the spokesperson.
‘A 19-year-old man was taken to hospital after being assaulted, and a second man, also aged 19, has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident. ‘
He was due to appear before Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, 22 March, and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.’
Cobhan, who is understood to originally be from Doncaster, joined the military at the age of 16.
The family say he has been left traumatised and ‘had his whole career ahead of him.’ An appeal launched by family to raise funds for his therapy reads: ‘
Our Son/Grandson/Brother has the kindest soul so we’re devastated to see the pain which he is in. ‘Cobhan will now live with scars to last a lifetime, both mentally and physically.
To help Cobhan, he is going to need counselling and lots of therapy. ‘Although we are so lucky that Cobhan is still alive and here with us today, we’re also in great pain knowing the long road ahead of us.
‘We’re aiming to raise money to help towards any therapy which Cobhan may need as there is a very high chance Cobhan may suffer with PTSD from this horrible event.’
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Defence confirmed that the teenager was taken to hospital after an incident at an Edinburgh property and that police are investigating.
The spokesperson added: ‘We can confirm that there was an incident involving a serviceman and a civilian in the early hours of Sunday morning. ‘The serviceman was taken to hospital and police are investigating the incident.’
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