Man injured after jumping from Bognor Regis Pier

A drunken man suffered serious injuries when he decided to greet 2011 by jumping off Bognor Regis Pier at low tide.

The 20-year-old Bognor male took the plunge at 3.30am on January 1 and immediately plummeted some 30ft into the sea bed.

He suffered two broken arms, a possibly fractured right wrist and was awaiting a CT scan in hospital to see if his brain had been affected by hitting the hard surface.

Its result is not yet known to the police.

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Bognor police station’s Inspector Clare McKnight said: “The man’s injuries were very nasty. To make matters worse, the tide was coming in and so he had to be moved before it got too late.

“The paramedics used special equipment to lift him and it took 45 minutes to get him to the foreshore. My officers helped to carry him up the beach.

“I can’t stress strongly enough that people should not be jumping off the pier in any circumstances.”

Meanwhile drunken men caused the worst outbreaks of new year crime known across Bognor Regis.

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Overworked police officers arrested an unprecedented 22 men – in the age range of 19 to 40 – for a variety of alleged offences between 6pm on December 31 and 6am the following day.

They also arrested between ten and 15 more individuals but released them before they were formally charged because their offences were not deemed to be serious enough to be processed further.

The situation became so hectic at one stage suspects had to be taken to a police custody suite at Aldershot because all the suites around Sussex were full.

Inspector Clare McKnight said the situation was an appalling indictment of the amount of senseless drinking which took place.

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“It’s a real shame people can’t drink responsibly on an occasion like that.

Excessive drinking had a part to play in all the offences,” said Insp McKnight, who is in charge of community policing around the town.

“It caused those involved – none of whom were eastern Europeans – to behave in an anti-social manner which is unacceptable. The offences have resulted in several of the people being injured and injuries being suffered by others.”

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