Partygoer in fatal fall ‘scaling balconies’

AN 18-year-old partygoer who died after plunging 100ft from a tower block may have been scaling the balconies between floors.

Residents at the block of flats in Mixenden, near Halifax, said Christian Lee, 18, known as Chrissy, had been attending a party in a flat on the 12th floor before disaster struck in the early hours of Saturday.

It is not known exactly how Mr Lee fell to his death but it is thought that he tried to climb down the small balconies on the flats, falling from the ninth floor.

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Gary Holmes, 55, who lives on the 11th floor, directly below the flat where the party was going on, said: “I heard a noise on my balcony at about midnight or just after, I could hear stuff moving about.

“Then about 10 minutes later I heard people in the flats below saying he had fallen. I looked out of my window and could see him below.

“I think he was trying to climb down the balconies and made it down to the ninth floor before he fell.”

Mr Holmes said there had been a lot of noise from the flat above and they had parties “every night of the week”.

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Another neighbour said police had been called out to the flat following a complaint of noise.

He said Mr Lee had “started scaling the balconies” soon afterwards.

Police confirmed they were in attendance at the flats before the fatality occurred.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: “Police are investigating following an incident in which a man was seen to fall from a ledge at around 12.40am on Saturday.

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“The man was pronounced dead at the scene and inquiries are ongoing into the circumstances. Due to there having been police involvement immediately prior to the death, the matter has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.”

A spokesman for the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) confirmed they had been informed but said they had passed it back to police.

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