Crowd jeers suicidal jumper to his death

[Memnoch]

What a sick world we live in these days.

Crowd jeers suicidal jumper to his death By staff writers October 01, 2008 02:52pm Teenager prepares to jump from multi-storey carpark Crowd gathers, one shouts "how far can you bounce?" Crowd behaviour "shocking reflection on society" JEERING onlookers goaded a teenager in Britain to jump to his death, undermining police efforts to talk him down, and then took pictures of the body. Yesterday as 17-year-old Shaun Dykes prepared to jump from the top of a multi-storey carpark in Derby, northern England, spectators allegedly shouted to him: "How far can you bounce?", the UK's MailOnline reports. As Mr Dykes hesitated for three hours on the ledge while police unsuccessfully tried to reason him out of taking his life, teenagers who had gathered below shouted "Jump" and "Get on with it", according to police and witnesses. Then after Mr Dykes lay in a crumpled heap on the pavement the same hecklers rushed out from behind the police cordon to take photos of the body. "When he (Dykes) fell, lots of people were screaming and crying but there were several groups of youths who ran from behind the cordon and looked like they were taking pictures with their mobile phones," a local shopkeeper was quoted as telling the MailOnline. "I found that sickening - why would anyone want to take pictures of something like that?" Mr Dykes was believed to have been suffering from depression and struggling to overcome a relationship breakdown. Superintendent Andy Hough, of Derbyshire police, said he was disappointed and disturbed by the people heard encouraging Mr Dykes to jump. "I find it a disturbing and shocking reflection on society when people feel inclined to do that," Supt Hough told the MailOnline. "Negotiators were working with the man threatening to jump and it was their job to talk to him in the hope of changing his mind. "We really need the public to work with us, not against us. It was a very disappointing situation." http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599...62-401,00.html

[Bungleau]

Sad. Very sad. I wonder if publicly identifying those who encouraged him to jump would help them to realize what a horrendous thing they did? Or if they'd get defensive and blame it all on him?

[Variol (Farseer) Elmwood]

What can one say about something like this...

[Dragonshadow]

I'm all for pushing those people who enouraged him to jump off a building themselves. It's appaling that people would do that.

[Yorick]

I read about that, it's very very sad.

[Variol (Farseer) Elmwood]

death, the morbid fascination..?

[SpiritWarrior]

Is this so shocking? We're all on the internetz and we have seen just how retarded (read: insensitive, cruel) teenagers can be. I've had kids say things to me that would never have even formed in my mind as a teen. Many teens these days are selfish, self-absorbed to the point where no remorse, compassion or even pity can break through.

So, while it is a sad reminder of how things are in this day and age, it is just that for me: a reminder of what I already know and see daily. Spectators should have been cleared out asap, and the area coroned off IMO.

[Firestormalpha]

Perhaps, but just because it "is" doesn't mean it should be. I think it's a combination of desensitization through media, and disconnection in the family.

Add: just an aside to SpiritWarrior - I don't mean that first comment to imply that you think that way.

[Variol (Farseer) Elmwood]

A friend of ours is a Police officer here and he said that they get jumpers on the bridge here, almost on a daily basis.

I would assume they are able to talk most of them down.

They have placed special fences at one end of the bridge though, because people were landing on the concrete and military ships beneath.

[thecarrotdude]

I cant believe this, it's horrible. I know that there are people like that but I cant believe that there were a whole bunch of them in one place like that. I have a feeling that the people who were shouting stuff probably felt that the man was joking around or playing a prank. I find it hard to believe that people would actually do such a thing. But then again they did take the pictures.