Witness appeal after Kilmarnock attacks left three dead

Police are appealing for witnesses to an incident in Ayrshire that left three people dead and a hospital in lockdown.

A mother and daughter both died after being injured in Thursday night’s attacks.

Emma Robertson Coupland, 39, died at the scene after being found injured in the car park of University Hospital Crosshouse, near Kilmarnock at around 7.45pm.

In a second incident 20 minutes later on the town’s Portland Street, her daughter Nicole Anderson, 24, was stabbed.

And a 40-year-old man was killed in a car crash on the outskirts of the town a short time later in an incident that police say is related to other deaths.

Steven Robertson died after crashing on a minor road between the B7036 and the A76 at around 8.30pm.

Officers investigating the incident are now appealing for information.

Chief Superintendent Faroque Hussain, Local Policing Commander for Ayrshire Division, said: “As you can imagine, the families of those involved are absolutely devastated and still coming to terms with what has happened. They have requested that they be allowed to grieve privately at this time.

“The investigation into the circumstances surrounding their deaths, which are linked, are ongoing. We are not looking for anyone else as part of the inquiry.

“The local community has been very supportive of our enquiries so far but we are still appealing for information, especially dashcam or mobile phone footage from the car park at University Hospital Crosshouse between 7.30pm and 8pm on the Thursday night.

“We’re also eager for anyone who may have been in the Portland Street area between 7.45pm and 8.15pm, and anyone travelling on the A76 between the Bellfield Interchange and Ochiltree between 7.50pm and 8.45pm, to get in touch.

“Please contact police on 101 with any information or submit this directly to officers via the Major Incident Police.”