Man, 22, charged in connection with death of agency chef

A suspect has been charged in connection with the death of agency chef Lionel Simenya, who died in Edinburgh earlier this month.

The 22-year-old man, who was arrested and charged on Saturday, is due to appear in court later today. A second man, aged 21, was arrested on Friday and has been released pending further enquiries. Police have yet to confirm what charge he faces.

Detective inspector Stuart Alexander from the major investigation team said: "This has been a complex inquiry as we worked to establish the full circumstances of how Mr Simenya died.

"I would like to thank his family for their patience and assistance as we carried out our inquiries and our thoughts remain with them at this time. I'd also like to extend my thanks to the local community and members of the public who assisted with our investigation and came forward following our appeals for information."

Lionel Simenya, an agency chef with Blue Arrow recruitment, died on the streets of Edinburgh at about 3:50am on 7 March, less that a week from his 37th birthday. Originally from Burundi, the chef had lived in the UK for several years. In September last year he won recognition from his agency for "always picking up extra shifts, always getting] great feedback from all our clients" and working "incredibly hard".

Speaking at a press conference in Edinburgh last week, his brother Nicolas Simenya said: "Lionel worked hard and never asked for help from anyone.

"Lionel was in his prime and would have been 37 yesterday (Wednesday) had he not been taken away from us.

"Yesterday we visited his body at the mortuary. He looked so peaceful. The same way he lived his life."