Edinburgh City Council launch independent probe into death of man in city chambers toilet

An independent investigation into the death of a man in a city chambers toilet will be launched by Edinburgh Council.

Council leader Jane Meagher said the investigation would run concurrently with enquiries being carried out by Police Scotland, which she said the city continued to support.

Cllr Meagher and other council group leaders paid tribute to the late Sean Stephen at the first full council meeting since his death at the start of July.

On July 7, his body was discovered in an advanced state of decomposition in a toilet in the customer support hub attached to Edinburgh’s city chambers, after disappearing on July 1.

Police Scotland said in early July that they had launched an investigation after the 38-year-old’s passing, but that his death was not believed to be suspicious.

A source said his body had been discovered by cleaning staff, who had believed the toilet door was locked for days due to the facility being out of order.

It is understood that security staff were to check the toilets were empty at the end of every day, as part of their rounds, but failed to do so.

A GoFundMe for a funeral for Mr Stephen, 38, brought in £3,248 in the month after his passing.

The organiser, a close friend, described him as a ‘gentle giant’ with ‘his full life ahead of him’, and described him as being widely known in his Southside community.

She continued: “We are absolutely devastated and any help would be appreciated to give him the best send off he deserves. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Mr Stephen’s wife, Julie, told the media that she had reported him missing on July 1.

She said she had told Police Scotland that she had last spoken to him that day by phone when he was near the city chambers.