A couple staying on the 40th floor of The Shard have told how they were in bed when they spotted a shirtless and shoeless man waving and climbing past their window.
Paul Curphey said it was “scary to see” freeclimber Adam Lockwood scaling the 1,016-foot landmark but “amazingly uplifting”.
Police later confirmed that a 21-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of trespass. Police had to cordon off the area around the tower and close some exits at nearby London Bridge station for safety reasons.
Mr Curphey, 52, and his partner Treasaidh were visiting London for a birthday trip and were in their hotel room on the 40th floor when someone started “waving at the window” at 6am yesterday.
“The climber was yelling in celebratory fashion,” Mr Curphey, a retail businessman from the Isle of Man, said. “He appeared, waving at the window, 40 floors up, already in the deep end so to speak. We couldn’t help but urge him on to complete his mission. He was smiling, waving, and having the time of his life.
“My partner thought I had pulled all the stops out and managed to get a guy to bring a box of Milk Tray for her birthday. “It was scary to see, but his happy demeanour was uplifting.”
Mr Lockwood later shared a photo of himself after completing the ascent of the UK’s tallest building.
His climbs include the 262ft San Siro stadium in Milan, a 1,115ft power station in Croatia and a 1,200ft crane in Dubai. He shuns safety equipment, using only his grip and strength.
In 2019, the 21-year-old from Wigan was banned from climbing buildings, cranes, buses, trams or trains in England and Wales. The injunction recently expired and he posted on Facebook in July: “Working on something that actually scares me a little just to think about, I can’t wait.”
Last month he added: “No matter how outrageous your passion or your goal or a dream might be, do not let anyone, absolutely nobody, stop you from pursuing what you want to do, no matter how difficult, scary, stupid or risky it might seem.”
Mr Lockwood was on Monday set to appear before Croydon magistrates charged with causing a public nuisance.
