Student death is sixth in seven years

Published on Friday 6 November 2009 21:46

CAMPAIGNERS have called for awareness to be raised about a seafront danger spot after a student plunged to his death and the cliffs claimed their sixth victim in seven years. .

Alex Wilson, 19, was trying to find a short cut to a Bonfire Night party on Castle Sands, St Andrews, when he lost his footing and fell 60ft on to the rocks.

By the time the air and rescue helicopter arrived from Northumberland an hour and a half later, the first-year student was dead.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said yesterday that more needed to be done to make sure students who were new to the town were aware of the dangers of the cliffs.

Six people have died in the past seven years after falling from the cliffs.

Pete Cornall, of Rospa, said: "In cases like this, accident prevention should perhaps be focused on making students, and other people who might not know St Andrews well, aware of the cliffs.

"It is about raising awareness that if you are going to use that route at night, extra care will be needed."

Local sources said they believed Mr Wilson had been trying to find a short cut along the cliffs, by cutting through the back garden of one of the large houses on The Scores.

The student, who was with a friend, was said to have had "one or two drinks" in the town centre before meeting friends at Ma Bells, a bar in the basement of the St Andrews Golf Hotel.

Witnesses said the rocks at the base of the cliffs had been covered by only a foot of water at the time, but rescuers searched in vain for the young man.

Police were at the scene quickly and the Broughty Ferry lifeboat was launched, and helicopter arrived from RAF Boulmer in Northumbria after an hour and a half.

At 3am, about the same time the helicopter arrived, a body was washed up alongside St Andrews Aquarium Sealife Centre. Paramedics spent 45 minutes trying to revive the teenager.

Mr Wilson was in the first year of a French and Spanish degree. His family home was in Alderbury, Shropshire.

St Andrews University vice-principal Stephen Magee said he was "deeply saddened" by the young man's sudden death.

"He was a bright and very popular student, who was much loved by his family and friends," he said.

A friend of Alex, who did not wish to be named said he was "a lovely guy, a good guy".

A Fife Police spokesman appealed for witnesses. "We are particularly keen to speak to a young American man, who may be a university student, who is believed to have spoken to the young man only minutes before his death."