French ‘Spiderman’ due in court after scaling London skyscraper
A skyscraper climber dubbed the “French Spiderman” is due to appear in court after scaling one of London’s tallest buildings.
Alain Robert, whose feats have included climbing Dubai’s 2,717ft (828m) Burj Khalifa, was seen tackling the Heron Tower in the City of London.
The 56-year-old reached the top of the 662ft (202m) tower, known as the Salesforce Tower, without using safety gear or a rope.
He was arrested by City of London Police on Thursday and was due at City of London Magistrates’ Court on Friday, charged with a public nuisance offence.
Officers arrived at 1.37pm on Thursday, setting up a taped cordon to stop traffic around the building and ushering the growing crowd of onlookers to move back and keep out of the road.
We can confirm we have arrested a man aged 56 for causing a public nuisance. He is currently in police custody. pic.twitter.com/CzWqGzRASv
— City of London Police (@CityPolice) October 25, 2018
Commander Karen Baxter said the incident had a “considerable impact on police, other emergency services and the local community”.
“Our officers, the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service all attended this incident, taking them away from genuine emergencies,” she added.
“While the incident has caused immense disruption to everyday business in the City of London, it also posed a significant level of risk to the safety of people in and around Heron Tower at the time.”
