Three leap to death in high-rise suicide pact

Catriona Stewart
Published on 7 Mar 2010

Two men and a woman have died after plunging from the 15th floor of a Glasgow tower block in an apparent triple suicide pact.

The three adults, who were tied together, were found by a concierge yesterday morning lying at the base of the Red Road flats in the Springburn area of the city.

Officers are working to establish the identities of the three people, who are believed to have been asylum seekers.

Strathclyde Police said the deaths were not being treated as suspicious.

A spokeswoman for the force said: "Inquiries are ongoing to establish the identities of the three people involved and post-mortem examinations will take place in due course to establish the exact cause of death, however at this time there do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances."

A 51-year-old neighbour said the three adults who fell from a Petershill Drive block had lived in the flat for two months but that she did not know them.

Residents gathered in a recreation area next the flats to watch as police set up a cordon and erected white tents over the bodies.

Glasgow Housing Association owns the eight tower blocks but sublets individual flats to the YMCA for use by asylum seekers.

A spokeswoman for the YMCA said the charity was unable to comment on the deaths.

A spokeswoman for GHA said: "We are very saddened to hear about the tragic incident at 63 Petershill Drive in the north of Glasgow.

"The police and the emergency services are continuing their inquiries and we are helping in every way we can."

Once the highest tower blocks in Europe, the Red Road flats, which cut across Glasgow’s skyline, have become a symbol of deprivation in the north of the city.

During the past few years the tower blocks have housed a diverse mixture of asylum seekers and immigrants from Kosovo, Africa, Asia, the former Soviet Union, Iran and Iraq.

Local MSP Paul Martin said: "This is a terrible tragedy and the thoughts of myself and the community are with the families of those who died in this tragic event.

"I have been in contact with the police to ensure that the necessary resources will be made available to fully investigate all the circumstances surrounding these deaths."

Robina Qureshi, director of Positive Action in Housing, a Scottish charity supporting refugees and asylum seekers in local communities, said: "The Red Road flats have housed hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers. We are concerned because hundreds of our clients who are from refugee communities were living in the area."

She said talk of suicide was common among the charity’s service users, adding: "Many live their daily lives under extreme pressure for years because their lives are on hold while they wait to hear if they will be granted leave to remain."

From: http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/three-leap-to-death-in-high-rise-suicide-pact-1.1011712