Skyscraper climb lands ‘spiderman’ in custody
With mouths hanging open and necks craned, a crowd stared with a mixture of awe and horror yesterday as they watched a Frenchman tiptoe along a tiny ledge 230 metres above the pavement.
A police cordon was put up around the Heron Tower, the tallest skyscraper in the City of London, as Alain Robert, nicknamed the human spider, slowly made his way up the side of the building over the course of an hour, only to be met by police who arrested him at the top.
The crowd cheered when Robert waved from three-quarters of the way up and again when he reached the top.
The free climber, 56, from Burgundy, has also scaled Dubai’s 828m Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, and the 380m Empire State Building in New York, without the use of protective equipment.
In 2012 he was seen inside the Shard, Britain’s tallest building, but was ejected and barred from returning by an injunction.
‘‘I fully feel alive when my life is at stake.’’ Alain Robert
He apparently chose the Heron Tower from a shortlist of three two days ago, and had also considered the ‘‘Walkie-Talkie’’ on Fenchurch St or the ‘‘Cheesegrater’’ on Leadenhall St.
His stunt was intended to generate publicity for a brand of rum.
‘‘I fully feel alive when my life is at stake,’’ he said before the climb, which was made using only a pair of climbing shoes and a bag of chalk to enhance grip.
He was detained by police at the top for causing a public nuisance.
Police said that the stunt had diverted members of the emergency services from other incidents and had posed a risk to people working in Heron Tower. – The Times