AN ACCOUNTANT stabbed and left for dead outside his home in Edinburgh believes that he was targeted because of his work investigating crooked lawyers.

Leslie Cumming, 62, has told detectives that he believes his attack was most likely connected with his work investigating corrupt solicitors in his role as chief accountant of the Law Society of Scotland, The Times has learnt.

Mr Cumming, who heads a team that inspects the accounts of solicitors to check that they are not laundering money or stealing from clients, was stabbed repeatedly on Monday after parking his Jaguar in a garage behind his flat. The attack has sent shockwaves through the affluent Murrayfield area, where Victorian houses sell for about £1 million and residents include the city’s leading bankers, lawyers and academics.

Although police are refusing to rule out the possibility of mistaken identity, they suspect that the stabbing of Mr Cumming was, indeed, a planned attack, probably by a professional hitman.

Detective Inspector Keith Hardie, who is heading the investigation, admitted yesterday that a repeat attack was possible. His officers have issued security briefings to the 12 accountants employed by the Law Society’s Guarantee Fund, which inspects the books of all solicitors in Scotland and compensates clients if they have been defrauded by their lawyers. It also investigates whether solicitors are being used by criminal gangs to launder money.

Mr Hardie said: “Although these attacks are very rare, the level of violence used against Mr Cumming was particularly unusual. We have considered the possibility of a repeat attack and, though we think it highly unlikely, Mr Cumming has been afforded advice in relation to his personal security.” Detectives have also asked the Law Society to provide a list of solicitors being investigated by Mr Cumming with a view to identifying possible suspects.

Mr Cumming has worked closely with the National Criminal Intelligence Service and has lectured on anti-money laundering regulations.

Mr Hardie said: “If we can establish a motive we can investigate that with a view to finding the person responsible. I’m keeping an open mind but obviously the type of job Mr Cumming does means this has to be a significant line of inquiry.”

Mr Cumming had parked his car at about 5.05pm on Monday when he became aware of a figure approaching in the narrow lane behind his home. As he turned he was slashed several times in the face by a man wearing a balaclava. He threw himself on his assailant, who stabbed him repeatedly in the back as he tried to wrestle him off. As Mr Cumming fell to the ground, his attacker walked off down the lane and into a neighbouring street. Bleeding profusely, Mr Cumming staggered through his garden to alert his wife, who was inside their flat.

Detectives are baffled by several aspects of the attack. The attacker, described by police as “cold and calculating”, did not speak a word. Although it is being treated as attempted murder, officers believe that the attack was probably carried out with a short-bladed knife, suggesting that the attacker may not have intended to kill Mr Cumming but merely to deliver a warning. Witnesses have reported seeing a man of stocky build, in his early twenties and dressed in dark clothing, running in the area about the time of the attack. No weapon has been recovered.

A neighbour, who did not want to give her name, said yesterday that she was shocked by the attack. “I’ve lived here since I was 3 and I’ve never heard of anything violent like this. It’s a peaceful, quiet place,” she said.

Mr Cumming, likely to have facial scars for life, was recovering at home yesterday. He said in a statement: “It was a traumatic event and I am now glad to be out of hospital and with my family. We are looking for some privacy at this time to help my recovery.”

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