9:12am Saturday 11th July 2009
By Ash Bolton
THIS is the terrifying moment a man threatened to jump more than 120ft from a crane at Southampton General Hospital.
Shocked onlookers watched in horror as the man dangled over the edge of the metal structure and at one point stood on the edge of the handrail in a diving position.
Police shut part of Tremona Road just after 7pm and spent and hour and a half trying to coax the man down.
Witnesses said the man, believed to be called Ashley, looked drunk and appeared to be praying to the sky several times. While on the crane he repeatedly swore at officers on the ground and punched the crane.
Paul Watts, 40, from Shirley, Southampton, who witnessed the entire event, said: “He had been up there for an hour and a half. At one stage he was dangling off the edge. It was terrifying.
“I don’t think he wanted to jump but there was a couple of times that he almost slipped. He was swearing and shouting and was on his mobile phone a lot.
“At one stage he shouted out that he only had two cigarettes left and hinted that when he ran out he was going to jump. He was also shouting for a lighter and threatening to jump if he didn’t get one.”
“It was horrible to watch. I thought he was going to go because it was so slippery and he was drunk. I was surprised no one went up to get him.”
Chris Johnson, 21, a plumber, of Winchester Road, said: “He started praying and all sorts. He was taking off his clothes and swearing.
“He started punching and kicking a sign on the end of the crane. He was going nuts. I thought he was going to jump when he took off his T-shirt. It was scary.”
On the ground, members of the man’s family shouted up at him to try to coax him down. He twice started making his way down the crane before changing his mind. He finally made his own way down at 9pm.
He was arrested and last night a police spokesman said the man was helping them with their enquiries.
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