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Update: Man who threatened to jump on M20 appears in court

1:00pm Monday 8th September 2008

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A 22-YEAR-OLD man who threatened to jump from a bridge onto the M20 on Tuesday and Thursday last week has appeared in court.

James Evans, of Waylands, Swanley, was arrested and charged with causing a public nuisance after threatening to jump from a footbridge over Junction 1 of the M20 on Thursday.

This was the second time he had threatened to jump, with police having to remove him from the same bridge two days before.

Both incidents caused a total of around 10 hours of traffic delays as police closed both carriageways to deal with the situation.

Mr Evans first threatened to jump last Tuesday, causing around three hours of traffic delays.

Police were able to remove him from the bridge at around 6pm and said they would make sure he was given appropriate help.

However, he returned to the footbridge at around noon on Thursday and once again threatened to jump, causing around seven hours of traffic delays.

Evans appeared before Maidstone magistrates on Saturday and was remanded in custody.

He is due to reappear later this week, with an exact date to be announced.

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Heard It All, Before says...
3:16pm Thu 4 Sep 08

The earlier report said "Police say they have spent time talking to the man and ensuring that he is given appropriate welfare." And lo and behold, he's back again on Thursday. Did the 'welfare' ever get in place?

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plumface, my little world says...
3:49pm Thu 4 Sep 08

Perhaps they should send Ellie, from the other article on this subject,to talk him down.
If this man delays my wife getting home to cook my dinner i will be most annoyed,i'm starving.

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Muz, SE says...
4:35pm Thu 4 Sep 08

LOL..
I think to say none of us care is misleading. Me obviously cares a great deal, and I’m sure there are others who care as well. Lots of people stuck in their cars on the A20 for a start (although for different reasons)

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The Real Me, Here says...
4:38pm Thu 4 Sep 08

I dont care, not one bit.

Love The Real Me

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me again, says...
5:58pm Thu 4 Sep 08

Why dont the police get for artics and park them under the bridge. Then he cant jump and will have to come down. Everyone can than go home easy

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bb, London, s.e. says...
7:37pm Thu 4 Sep 08

me, ???? - presumably you have not been inconvenienced by the actions of this man. Its all very well being self righteous if you haven't been affected. You also should maybe realise that some of the comments include humour. I understand that it is not really a funny subject but people are entitled to their own opinions. You have to ask the question why on earth wasn't he detained for his own safety after yesterday's display of desperation.

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sarah, swanley says...
7:38pm Thu 4 Sep 08

i live right next to the bridge the man is on i thought i should go try persuade him to get down coz the police aint doing a good job!!!! he has tryed it 0nce tryed it twice maybe it will be third time lucky. lets hope not.

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me, ???? says...
7:55pm Thu 4 Sep 08

bb wrote:
me, ???? - presumably you have not been inconvenienced by the actions of this man. Its all very well being self righteous if you haven\'t been affected. You also should maybe realise that some of the comments include humour. I understand that it is not really a funny subject but people are entitled to their own opinions. You have to ask the question why on earth wasn\'t he detained for his own safety after yesterday\'s display of desperation.
No I havent been inconvienienced but I have been where he is. Sorry if I sounded self righteous. Its a difficult subject.

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Moi, says...
8:24pm Thu 4 Sep 08

Went through Swanley at about 5.30pm, the traffic was stretched back from J3 to the Crittals Corner roundabout then.

Why don't the emergency services get one of those big inflatable air cushions and push him on it. Problem solved.

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Unbelievable, Kent says...
9:31pm Thu 4 Sep 08

"It took me an hour to drive to the school, it normally takes five mins"

Erm.....ever thought of walking lazybones!!!!

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Local, swanley says...
9:47pm Thu 4 Sep 08

BBC Radio Kent news site says he is down and has been arrested for wasting police time. What I can't understand is that if this chap is so mentally distraught he managed to work out how to get to the same place twice.
My husband's getting salad tomorrow I'm not wasting any more food while he sits in a traffic jam.

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Seamus, London says...
10:44pm Thu 4 Sep 08

Local wrote:
BBC Radio Kent news site says he is down and has been arrested for wasting police time. What I can't understand is that if this chap is so mentally distraught he managed to work out how to get to the same place twice. My husband's getting salad tomorrow I'm not wasting any more food while he sits in a traffic jam.
Is salad code for something?

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emma, sidcup says...
7:42am Fri 5 Sep 08

unbelievable kent
did you ever think that the person who wrote it took me an hour to get to school when it normally takes five minutes that maybe the reason she drives is because if she was to walk it would probly take alot longer seeing as she lives in sidcup and her daughter goes to a school in swanley!i know because its my mother keep your comments to yourself

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lin, crockenhill says...
8:51am Fri 5 Sep 08

I live on the farm the bridge provides access for. I can't understand why, with 6 cars with officers, a police van and a couple of comunity police on bikes this man was not removed immediately. They wasted hours chatting to him when they could have just grabbed him and taken him to hospital. It would have been over in minutes. The money that spent on the police sitting there doing nothing would have been better spent on improved psychiatric provision

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Mark, Dartford says...
9:33am Fri 5 Sep 08

So there. Instead of moaning about emergency services 'waisting time' why not mail the relevant services that should be in place, for the likes of this. 'Social workers'comes to mind.
Paid a lot.

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nat, kent says...
10:54pm Fri 5 Sep 08

at the end of the day ye it is a pain 2 be stuck in traffic but your all inconsiderate im sure if that was one of ure family or friends that are close 2 you then you wouldnt be sayin wat you are... your moaning that you sat in traffic and it took so much of your time but you must not have nothing better to do than sit on here and write stupid inconsiderate comments about someone that obviously is not happy with his life so how about you all grow up

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