A stuntman who specializes in climbing skyscrapers was banned from climbing any building in the UK. Alain Robert, 56, received a 20-week suspended prison sentence on Friday for scrambling up London's 201-metre Heron Tower. Mr Robert, dubbed "the French Spiderman," also got a $7,000 fine for disruption and causing a "large scale" emergency response. Hundreds of people stopped to watch him climb the building and called the emergency services. Robert climbed the London tower using only his bare hands. He never uses ropes or other safety equipment.
In court, the judge told the climber: "You are...an accomplished climber, but there is always the danger that your actions could be imitated by those less proficient, with potentially fatal consequences." Another judge called the climb a publicity stunt. He pointed out that Robert was sponsored to climb the building because he was wearing a T-shirt with the logo of a company on it. Robert was prepared for his arrest. When police arrested Robert on Thursday, he immediately handed officers his passport and the telephone number of his lawyer.