Teenager arrested as tombstoning takes over Brighton seafront

Rex

Police arrested one of a group of tombstoning teenagers on Brighton seafront this week.

The dangerous practise, where people leap of cliffs or tall structures into the water, can cause serious injury or even death.

The arrest, which, according to brightonandhovenews.org, saw the teenage boy taken away under the Public Order Act for using abusive language, came just after the helmsman of the RNLI Brighton lifeboat issued a warning about tombstoning, which was broadcast on the BBC.

Mr Bell accepted that it was probably impossible to stop people from tombstoning but he gave a warning about the dangers and said: 'It's very difficult to judge the depth of water when looking down on it.

'There are often tides and currents which can take you away from safety and there are often hazards and rocks at or just beneath the surface.

'No one's expecting it to stop. We offer advice to reduce the risks if anyone is taking part in tombstoning.

'Check the depth of water beneath you, have a look and make sure there are no hazards, no rocks that are just underneath the surface.

'Check the tides and the currents, don't jump under the influence of alcohol or drugs and have a look around you and make sure there are no young people looking to imitate.'

Teenagers tombstoning at Brighton's seafront. Photo: Rex

Mr Bell led the crew that rescued a man who was thought to be seriously injured after jumping 40ft from the Palace Pier in Brighton into just 3ft of water last month. Fortunately, his injuries were ultimately minor.

But Sonny Wells, 23, from Hampshire, who also appeared on the BBC before Mr Bell, was not so lucky.

The former soldier was paralysed three years ago when he jumped 30ft off the pier into 3ft of water in Southsea in Portsmouth.

He said: 'It's probably one of the worst things that you could be told to be honest that you're not going to be able to walk again or just knowing that you're paralysed.

'I kick myself every day for doing it. It's not what it just does to you. It's what it does to your family, your friends. I have to have people on standby or on call in case things go wrong.

'It's not just my life that's changed. Their lives changed as well.'

His mother, Jacqui Unal, 45, said: 'He's stuck in a wheelchair 24/7. If you want to end up like that then all I'd say is go ahead and jump.'

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