M32 bridge climber: I apologise to public, but not to the police
A MAN who brought Bristol to a standstill by threatening to jump off a footbridge over the M32 has apologised to the people of the city.
Nicky Hughes, 25, also urinated onto the carriageway during a two-hour stand-off with Avon and Somerset police on September 12.
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Nicky Hughes with police as he threatened to jump off a footbridge over the M32 on September 12
After being spared immediate jail by District Judge Simon Cooper at the city's magistrates' court yesterday, Hughes told the Post: "I apologise to the members of the public for the disruption that it caused, and the emergency services in general, but I don't apologise to the police or any of the other organisations in the city."
Hughes, of Logos House, Wade Street, admitted causing a public nuisance on the walkway coming from Gatton Road, St Werburgh's.
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Police were forced to close the M32 on safety grounds for the second time in successive days, causing gridlock.
Hughes was seen on the bridge at 5.24pm and when police approached him, they said he threatened to jump. He demanded to speak to an inspector but when one came to the scene, Hughes was abusive to him.
Prosecutor Lesley Ness said a negotiator was brought in to help but Hughes still refused to come down and urinated on the now empty carriageway below. He also started throwing things from his rucksack onto the road.
It was not until almost 8pm that officers were able to grab, handcuff and arrest him.
Hughes told the Post he had personal problems at the time, had never wanted to cause the disruption and had initially intended to sit on the bridge and watch the sunset while drinking a few beers. His actions were also a protest about what he believes is a lack of support for him, and others, from housing agencies, probation and other organisations since he was released from a 28-month burglary jail term last July.
Hughes claims he was "illegally" evicted by a housing association not long before the incident and says he has lodged a complaint with the Independent Police Complaints Commission about how he was dealt with during the incident.
District Judge Cooper told Hughes he had been "selfish" and "stupid".
He said: "It created substantial and well-known public nuisance."
He imposed an eight-week prison sentence, suspended for a year, including 140 hours of unpaid work.
Schizophrenic Shane Heyman, 31, of Redfield, was previously given a one-year conditional discharge for causing a public nuisance on the same bridge on September 11.
Comments
by geoffone1
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 6:18PM
“Apology accepted.”
by Big_Gregory
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 1:59PM
“The general public would have been better served by someone shoving this moron from the bridge into the path of a HGV.”
by FromMendip
Tuesday, October 09 2012, 12:15PM
“Obviously a brainless moron if he doesn't understand that the police are part of the public so he's apologised to them anyway.
I'd have been inclined to have let him stay there and let him risk falling onto the motorway. Trouble is the road might have been closed then for even longer or he may have injured or killed someone else using the motorway or at least traumatised them. Also the police would have been regarded as having a duty of care to protect him from his own stupidity.
Is it any wonder some police officers become cynical having to deal with people like this?”
by JimBob
Tuesday, October 09 2012, 10:56AM
“I have to agree regarding this person Supersnakes, but I'm confused as to why Shane Heyman was previously given a one-year conditional discharge for causing a public nuisance.
Maybe someone can enlighten me as to why a Schizophrenic man is accused of committing a crime? Was he suicidal? If he was, that is not a crime. What the F*** is going on?
How can someone in obvious need of support, be a "nuisance"? Is it because this man in need of support made some people a little late to their destination on that one day? I mean, that scenario is pretty god damn horrific i suppose…..a bit like genocide……”
by Supersnakes
Tuesday, October 09 2012, 9:50AM
“How about stopping being a burgular, laying off of the booze and getting your act together? All too often people bemoan their "lack of support." The rest of us just have too "get on with it." May I suggest he does the same, especially as he has been spared jail.”