Insanity at 770ft
Youths’ Canary Wharf selfie stunt sparks security probe
PERCHED 770ft above London, a youth poses on top of Canary Wharf’s tallest building as the wind whistles around his hoodie.
While most people would think the stunt reckless, he bragged about it.
The youth, thought to be Harry Gallagher, 19, said in a video posted on YouTube: ‘Guys, I’m actually speechless. This is insane. I can’t believe we’re actually up here. Crazy.’
As his accomplice’s camera panned to show the night view of the capital from the building, One Canada Square, he added: ‘My heart is pounding. You can literally see the whole of London.’
He and his masked companion, known only as Dibs, call themselves Night Scape and have already risked their lives scaling several other tall buildings.
This time they filmed themselves as they scaled a security barrier – apparently setting off an alarm – then took a lift and stairs to the roof of the 50-storey skyscraper, London’s second tallest building.
But while the youths were clearly pleased with themselves, the authorities have taken a dim view of their antics.
Questions have been asked as to how the pair managed to evade security in a busy part of the capital that is home to some of the UK’s biggest businesses – and which has been targeted in the past by terrorists. Although clearly a prank, the youths were able to enter and move through the building seemingly unchallenged.
A Canary Wharf Group spokesman said: ‘We are actively investigating unauthorised entry into One Canada Square, on the Canary Wharf estate. Security is taken extremely seriously at Canary Wharf. We invest heavily in our security and review the processes on a regular basis. Current arrangements have been tight- ened, while our security procedures are being reviewed and an internal investigation conducted.’ A Metropolitan Police spokes- man said they were aware of the footage online and are liaising with the building’s operators to assess whether any offences have been committed.
The stunt was also criticised by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, which said: ‘If things go wrong in these situations it does not only impact on the individual involved but also their family, the emergency services and staff who work at the sites.’
It is not known when the climb took place, although the video was posted on YouTube on Monday with an appeal for it to get 30,000 ‘likes’. By last night they had nearly reached their target and the footage had been viewed more than 125,000 times. It captures the pair at the top of the building, posing for their cameras with one or both arms in the air while standing on their structure.
They are then seen running back down the stairs and into the street. Since posting the video, Night Scape have added a message, aimed presumably at anyone reckless enough to try to copy them.
It warns: ‘This building is completely locked off now, please do not try to attempt this!’ In October, Night Scape scaled the roof of the London Stadium, formerly the Olympic Stadium, home to West Ham United. They took photos of themselves dangling over the edge and running on the pitch.
Last week Russian model Viki Odintcova, 23, posted pictures of herself dangling from the 1,004ft Cayan Tower in Dubai as she held on to her assistant’s hand.