Crowd 'jeered' man who fell from building (From Daily Echo)

Crowd 'jeered' man who fell from building in Portsmouth

2:32pm Thursday 20th September 2012 in Crime

Crowd 'jeered' man who fell from building

The family of Hampshire man who plunged from a building has branded onlookers who encouraged him to jump as ''cruel''.

The 26-year-old fell from the building in Portsmouth on Tuesday after a crowd had congregated and some taunted him.

Police also called the actions of those who filmed the scene and then posted footage on social networking sites ''a disgusting display''.

The man, who is from Portsmouth, remains in Southampton General Hospital in a serious condition after the fall.

In a statement released through Hampshire police, the family of the man said: ''Tuesday's incident came as a shock to our family and was completely out of character for our son.

''He is a vulnerable man who has had to deal with some significant challenges in his life and when he clearly needed compassion and understanding was met with cruel taunts and encouragement to end his life.

''Despite this, he is hanging on in hospital and we are hoping he will recover. If he does, he will have a long journey ahead of him.

''The behaviour of people at the scene on Tuesday shows a lack of understanding for people like our son and what they may be going through.

''It is a small comfort that from where he was standing he probably couldn't hear the yells of people urging him to jump.''

A Hampshire police spokesman added: ''This was a disgusting display by members of the public and showed a complete lack of empathy for the person involved and for officers trying to deal with a very sensitive situation under immense pressure.

''We are also saddened to learn that some members of the public felt it appropriate to film the incident and post these videos to social networking sites.