Ihearherfinal scream every day and it breaks me
Boyfriend tells of trauma over cliff plunge lover
A MAN who survived a cliff fall which claimed the life of his girlfriend has spoken for the first time about how he is still haunted by the tragedy.
Dominic Long, 27, said ‘rumours’ he may have been responsible for her death had resulted in the windows of his house being smashed.
He said he still hears the scream of Alesha Wright, 18, ‘every day’ and her death has ‘broken’ him. She fell to her death on July 11 after they had gone for a walk on cliffs near Scrabster, Caithness.
Mr Long spoke out after an unrelated court hearing, during which his solicitor said the cliff fall had had a severe impact on his mental health. Mr Long, of Thurso, has now been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and has also been referred to a psychiatrist.
Defence agent Fiona MacDonald told Wick Sheriff Court he was engaging ‘as best he can’ with the court, ‘given his mental health difficulties’.
Speaking about Ms Wright’s death, he said: ‘When I wake up I start crying as I see her face. I also hear her scream every day and it breaks me.
‘We usually went to an old Army lookout but the tide was in so we went further along the path towards Scrabster. We went to sit on a bench and then went to make our way to a cave.
‘We were both very drunk and the next thing I remember is hearing her scream. I saw her starting to fall and I jumped, a bit like Superman, to try and save her.’ He said he hit a rock
‘I wouldn’t have done anything to hurt her’
and landed on the shore, with Ms Wright lying nearby, and used her phone to call emergency services.
He added: ‘I was struggling to move and tried to drag myself and her but couldn’t.’ Despite the efforts of paramedics, Ms Wright died at the scene.
Mr Long was treated in Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, for a broken shoulder, broken ribs, fluid on his lung and concussion, and said his mental state has worsened after rumours he was responsible for her death.
He said: ‘When I got home from hospital, most of my windows had been put in and somebody had trashed the inside of my house.
‘I was in love with her and wouldn’t have done anything to hurt her.’
Police said yesterday inquiries into Ms Wright’s death are ‘still ongoing’.
Mr Long spoke out after appearing at Wick Sheriff Court on Wednesday for sentencing after admitting possession of controlled drug flualprazolam and breaching a curfew. Sentence was deferred for psychiatric reports.