After being picked up by police but then left to wander off alone
We are of the view that the actions of the police in assisting the deceased were appropriate and we will not be carrying out an investigation into the matter.”
Born in Glasgow, Scott lived in Ayr but had previously spent time in America and Malaysia.
He had been planning to move to America once he graduated. A popular student, he had lived in Edinburgh and worked as a chef in Nando’s to earn extra money while studying.
A former pupil at the Queen Victoria school in Dunblane, flags there flew at half-mast in his memory last week when more than 350 people attended his funeral in Ayr. Mourners were asked to donate to Scott’s favourite charity, Help For Heroes, instead of bringing flowers.
He was one of many young people who tried to walk home from the Oktoberfest amid claims that transport laid on was inadequate. Some of those attending said the event was “an accident waiting to happen” with many reporting concerns that the transport from the event was badly managed. Aisling Benson, 21,
was at Gosford House for the festival that night, and said it was “chaos”.
The biology student from Edinburgh added: “It was really badly organised. Getting out was a complete nightmare and there were so many people who had obviously had quite a lot to drink. That is to be expected at a beer festival and it was mainly students.
“I don’t know why it was held in such a remote location, with poor transport, near the sea, late at night. When I think about it now it seems crazy.
“Certainly I felt a bit uneasy trying to get home afterwards and I did see a load of people not really knowing where they were going.”
A Longniddry resident said they had seen hundreds of young people walking along the coastal road after the party, and councillors also raised concerns about the organisation of the event.
Councillor Lachlan Bruce, who represents East Lothian’s Preston, Seton and Gosford areas, said: “The local community have been hit hard by this tragedy and the thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Scott Calder. “When you organise an event where you are selling alcohol, as the organisers you have a duty of care to those attending the event and drinking.
“If you have a situation where young people who have been drinking are left, as has been reported, walking down unlit country roads, that duty of care has obviously not been met.
“It is important that everyone – the police, event organisers, the council – learn from this so nothing like this can ever happen again.”
Falcona, the company behind the Hot Dub Stein Machine event, said: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of Scott Dunn Calder. Our thoughts and prayers are with Scott’s family.
“Starting at 8pm, 60 shuttle buses ferried attendees from the main entrance back to Edinburgh, via Longniddry – providing a capacity of approximately 5,000 passenger seats.
“Before and during the event, people were strongly advised, for safety reasons, to use either the shuttle bus service or additional on-site car and taxi pick-up points which were managed by security stewards and traffic personnel, with assistance from the police.”
The safety of young people while out drinking has been in the news this week, after the inquest into the death of a Newcastle student.
His family criticised university authorities after Ed Farmer died in hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest in December 2016. The coroner ruled that Mr Farmer died from the “toxic effects” of drinking excessive alcohol on an “initiation-style” bar crawl.