A man who helped stop someone from jumping off the Tay Road Bridge has received an award for outstanding bravery from police.
John Marsden, 36, was travelling across the bridge from a friend’s house to his home near Newport-on-Tay when he found a distressed man on the other side of the railings.
He immediately stopped his car and ran to the man’s aid and, with the help of an off-duty police officer, managed to eventually pull him back over the railing to safety.
John, a paleontologist, told the Tele that he was still coming to terms with the events that unfolded in April.
He said: “Winning an award for what happened is a bit surreal.
“It was such a hard thing for the man to go through.
“When I got there the man wasn’t even holding on — he was swaying in the wind.
“I knew that I needed to act straight away or the situation would have been dire.
“I put my arms round him and just held him there and tried to talk to him.
“An off duty police officer came and started to help.
“My arms were so tired that I couldn’t hold on much longer.
“It was more or less with my last strength that we pulled him back over to safety.
“I was so relieved when the whole thing ended.
“Getting the guy to safety was the biggest relief I have ever felt.”
John says that he hopes that his story will inspire other people to intervene if they see someone in a similar situation.
He added: “It is really important that people are not afraid to stop someone.
“There is no doubt in my mind that if I had waited until I got to the other end of the bridge and reported it, then it would have been too late.
“My thoughts are still with the man now — I just hope he is getting the help he needs and is on the mend.
“At the time it didn’t seem like anything positive could come from the situation.
“The award will maybe help me put things in the right place in my mind.
“I still haven’t quite got to grips with what happened.”
John’s actions were recognised at Police Scotland’s annual Bravery and Meritorious awards at the police college at Tulliallan, which recognise acts of exceptional bravery
or meritorious conduct performed by police officers, police staff, special constables and members of the public.
A total of 49 people were presented with awards at the ceremony.
The winners came from across Scotland.