A man who clung to a drainpipe on a block of flats in Hampstead threatening to jump for six hours yesterday was finally persuaded to return safely back inside the block last night.
Police were called by residents in Palgrave House flats, in Lawn Road, who were concerned about a neighbour who had barricaded himself into a flat just before 10am yesterday.
At about 2.10pm, the man, wearing a white hoodie, jeans and trainers, emerged from a fifth floor flat window and clung to a drainpipe running vertically up the block.
He then shuffled down the drainpipe to the fourth floor where he remained for around six hours while police negotiators and family members attempted to talk him down.
Witnesses on the ground heard the man screaming “they are going to kill me” at police and threatening to jump.
The man was eventually detained by police at approximately 8.30pm and taken to hospital for psychiatric assessment.
During the incident, police set up a large cordon around Palgrave House, closing Fleet Road and Upper Park Road, causing severe traffic problems and diverting a number of bus routes.
The cordon has since been removed and the roads re-opened.
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