Many use Street View in Google Maps to look at... well... city streets. Most may not know you can do other things with it like explore the Amazon, visit the Oval Office, or dive with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands. (Photo: Google)

The Other Side of Google Maps Street View

YOU may want to think twice before playing a prank when a Google Earth camera car is around.

A panicked member of the public contacted police after spotting images of an axe-wielding man standing over a lifeless body in an Edinburgh street on Google Street View, The Independent reports.

The camera car filmed the horrific scene from different angles as it travelled down Giles Street in Leith showing a man being attacked and his killer walking away.

After some investigation police traced the ‘killer’ to the mechanics’ car repair shop in the street.

It turned out the ‘victim’ was the shop’s owner, 56-year-old Dan Thompson, and the ‘killer’ was his mechanic, 31-year-old Gary Kerr.

Thompson said that he and Kerr decided to create the murder scene when they saw the camera car approaching in August 2012.

“It was in the spur of the moment,” Mr Thompson said.

“It seemed like the obvious thing to do so I threw myself on the ground and Gary grabbed a pick axe handle from the garage.

“We only had about 20 seconds — it was all we could think of.”

Fortunately for the pranksters the police saw the funny side.

“They were already pretty certain it was a joke because one of their colleagues gets their car serviced here,” Mr Thompson said.

“They thought it was a really good laugh and in five minutes they were gone.”