Man in court after guard attack

The Reliance guard was taken to hospital after the incident

A man has appeared in court after a security guard was allegedly stabbed inside the Court of Appeal building in Edinburgh on Tuesday afternoon.

James O'Rourke, 34, is charged with assault to severe injury and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

He was remanded in custody at Edinburgh Sheriff Court and was committed for further examination.

The guard, who is in his 50s, works for the private firm Reliance, which is escorting prisoners across Scotland.

A Reliance spokesman said: "We are investigating the situation and co-operating fully with the police and the Scottish Prison Service in their investigations."

Shadowing operation

The security firm only started operating services in the capital last month after it successfully completed a shadowing operation in the Lothian and Borders force area.

Reliance is already responsible for prison escort and court custody services in the Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway, and Central Scotland police force areas.

The Scottish Executive declined to comment on the alleged stabbing.

A spokesman said: "We are aware of an incident. It would be inappropriate to comment further as police are investigating."