A 29-year-old man has fallen 80ft to his death from a roof garden in the City of London – the sixth such death at the prestigious Coq D’Argent restaurant since 2007.
The man, who has not yet been named, is understood to have fallen from a viewing platform above Queen Victoria Street at around 4pm on Sunday. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Members of staff are understood to have been unaware of what had happened until police arrived at the scene.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, one anonymous diner said: “We were collecting our coats when a policeman came in and asked the girl on reception if he could speak to the manager.”
“There was no fuss and the only reason we knew about it was because we happened to be standing by the door when the police officer came in…I doubt any other the other diners or people in the bar would have been aware,” they added.
“When we got down to street level there were paramedics surrounding the person and the road had been closed off. It’s very sad,” the diner went on to say.
City of London police closed the road to traffic as an investigation was launched, although the man’s death is not thought to be suspicious.
Coq D’Argent, which is popular with City workers, has seen several suicides from its roof garden in recent years. In 2013 six-foot high barriers were erected and security guards employed and told to question anybody seen alone on the terrace.
Despite these measures 39-year-old restaurant critic Wilkes McDermid – who had a history of depression - killed himself by jumping from the terrace in February 2015. Coq D’Argent was cleared of any blame over Mr McDermid’s death with coroner Dr Roy Palmer saying it had done all it could to make it “difficult, if not impossible, for people to leave the premises other than by the lift or the stairs.”
For confidential support on mental health call the Samaritans on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or attend a local Samaritans branch.
