Life-saving student to get award

AN art student who risked his life to pull a man who was threatening to jump from a bridge back to safety is to receive a national life-saving award.

Gregor Morrison, from Blackhall, was with his girlfriend’s father Andrew Turnbull when they spotted the suicidal man “acting a bit odd” on the bridge.

The pair had been travelling to Mr Turnbull’s home in Perth when they noticed that the man had climbed over the railing on the town’s Queen’s Bridge.

Their quick-thinking actions on June 3 have earned them both a Certificate of Commendation from the Royal Humane Society.

Mr Morrison, 26, said he and Mr Turnbull jumped out of the car when they realised what was going on and approached the man, whose attention was focused on shouting at a woman who was attempting to get close to him, from behind.

The Edinburgh College of Art student said: “He was shouting at her to stay away, otherwise he would jump. We took the opportunity while he was distracted to grab him and pull him back over the railing.

“We were coming from behind so he couldn’t see us.

“He wasn’t very happy about it. He was upset and drunk.

“There was a bit of a scuffle when we pulled him over, he was annoyed with us.

“We ended up holding him against the railings. As soon as we got him restrained, he burst into tears and he was also giving us abuse too.”

A passing police car stopped to help the men and take the man into custody.

Mr Morrison added: “I honestly don’t know if he would have jumped, but the state he was in, he probably would have followed through.

“We didn’t really have much time to think about what we were doing, we just did it.

“Afterwards we went back to the house and had a large whisky.”

Dick Wilkinson, secretary of the Royal Humane Society, praised the men for risking their own lives to save the stranger from jumping into the River Tay.

He said: “Mr Morrison and Mr Turnbull risked being pulled over the railings themselves in the struggle.

“If they had not acted as they did, it is almost certain the man would have jumped and the long drop below coupled with the fast-flowing river almost certainly would have resulted in him drowning.

“They richly deserve their awards.”

The awards – made on the recommendation of Tayside Police – will be presented to the men at a ceremony next year.

Mr Morrison said: “I wasn’t expecting it at all.

“I would hope that anybody would do what we did, although I was surprised on the day that it happened that there were a lot of people walking by and just ignoring it.”