A driver who left a cyclist with a fractured skull and brain bleed in a violent assault has been handed a two-year supervision order and electronic tag curfew. According to BBC News, Joseph Hedley, 39, attacked Iain Brown, 34, following an altercation in Edinburgh's Cowgate on 20 September 2024. Hedley admitted assaulting the victim to his severe injury, permanent impairment and to the danger of his life.
Sheriff Fergus Thomson imposed the supervision order on 27 October 2026, along with an electronic tag requiring Hedley to remain at his address between 19:00 and 07:00 for the next 12 months. The court found that Hedley had inflicted "significant injuries" on Brown but was willing to impose an alternative to a custodial sentence "by the narrowest of margins".
Brown was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh after losing consciousness in the aftermath of the assault. Medical staff determined his injuries—which included a traumatic brain injury, fractured skull and acute bleed on the brain—posed a serious risk to his life.
How the incident unfolded
The altercation began when words were exchanged between Brown and Hedley's partner, who was in the passenger seat of Hedley's vehicle. According to Edinburgh News, the assault occurred at approximately 18:20 on Friday, 20 September 2024. Hedley's lawyer, Calum Turner, claimed the cyclist had shouted at Hedley's vehicle and shone his bike safety light into the car, and that a passenger had suffered a "seizure", prompting Hedley to leave the vehicle and confront Brown.
Fiscal depute Peter Finnon told the court that Brown suffered serious injuries as a result of the confrontation. Footage of the incident, recorded by several local residents on their phones and played in court, showed Hedley leaving his vehicle and throwing the man to the ground before departing the scene, leaving the injured cyclist in the road.
What happened after the attack
According to Edinburgh News, Hedley handed himself in to police on 22 September 2024, two days after the assault, after learning that officers were looking for him. The video footage of the incident was widely shared online, drawing significant public attention to the case.
Court's assessment of the offence
Faith Currie, procurator fiscal for Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders, described the assault as serious and unprovoked.
This was a violent, sustained and unprovoked assault on an innocent member of the public who suffered serious injuries. The actions of Joseph Hedley were horrific and shocking and could easily have had more devastating consequences.
Hedley's lawyer argued that his client had "not intended" to inflict serious injury on Brown and had not been behind the wheel since the incident. However, the court's decision to impose a supervision order rather than a custodial sentence came only "by the narrowest of margins", according to Sheriff Thomson.
The case reflects broader concerns about road rage incidents in Scotland. Similar violent attacks involving vehicles have resulted in more severe sentences in recent years, including a six-year-eight-month sentence for a hit-and-run attempted murder in Edinburgh, demonstrating the serious consequences that can follow such offences.
Key Facts
- Joseph Hedley, 39, of Kirkcaldy, Fife, admitted assaulting Iain Brown, 34, in Edinburgh's Cowgate on 20 September 2024
- Brown suffered a fractured skull, traumatic brain injury and acute bleed on the brain, with medical staff deeming his injuries potentially life-threatening
- Hedley received a two-year supervision order and 12-month electronic tag curfew (19:00–07:00) on 27 October 2026, avoiding a custodial sentence by the narrowest margin
- Video footage of the assault, recorded by local residents, was widely shared online and played in court
- Hedley handed himself in to police on 22 September 2024, two days after the incident
