Stranger plunged 35ft to ground after angry boyfriend pushed him off bridge

Victim Lee Scopes fell 35 feet onto a concrete pavement from the tramway bridge in Sheffield city centre, nearly landing on a passing doctor.

He suffered a broken pelvis, hip and leg and only survived because the medic immediately telephoned for an ambulance and alerted a hospital trauma life support team. The 25-year-old is now reliant on a wheelchair and may never fully recover.

CCTV pictures were shown at Sheffield Crown Court in which 31-year-old recovering heroin addict Nigel Morgan was seen storming over the bridge towards Mr Scopes and Morgan's girlfriend Kirsty Blacklock. Without breaking stride he punched his victim, then pushed him over the bridge parapet and carried on walking without looking back.

Morgan, of Halliwell Crescent, Southey Green, Sheffield, was initially quizzed for attempted murder but later admitted the lesser charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

He has 48 previous convictions and has appeared at court 24 times, mostly for dishonesty and shoplifting offences connected with his drug addiction.

Iain Hillis, prosecuting, said Mr Scopes had been out drinking with Miss Blacklock who felt he was "coming on" to her.

She rang Morgan asking for his help but everything appeared to have calmed down as the pair walked through the city centre and sat on the bridge parapet over Commercial Street in the early evening of August 19 last year.

The CCTV pictures show Morgan approach the pair.

Mr Hillis said: "The defendant walked to the complainant, punched him and threw him off the bridge where there is a drop of 30 to 35 feet to the concrete pavement."

An office worker who witnessed the attack could not believe her eyes. She said in a statement: "I saw the male really pushing hard, using most of his upper body strength. There was some real weight behind it.

"As soon as the male had done this he turned and stormed off up the hill at a real pace.

"He didn't even stop to have a look over the wall. He seemed so focused. I couldn't believe it."

Miss Blacklock later told police she was frightened and shocked at what happened and made a statement implicating her boyfriend.

In a victim impact statement, Mr Scopes said the fall had destroyed his life. He is unable to wash or go to the toilet himself and is afraid to go out.

"I will be disfigured and scarred for life," he said.

David Brooke, defending, said it was an impulsive act of violence and was not pre-meditated. "He acted on the spur of the moment," he said.

Morgan was recovering from his heroin addiction and had not been in trouble for several years. He had moved from York to Sheffield in April last year and met Miss Blacklock, whom he felt was vulnerable. He said he did not want her to fall into the same trap of taking alcohol and drugs.

Judge Robert Moore told Morgan: "Deliberately heaving somebody off a bridge with a drop of 30 foot or more on to concrete falls into the gravest category."

He told Morgan if he had been convicted of attempted murder the sentence would have been even longer.

"This dreadful crime has left a man in a wheelchair for several years, maybe forever."