'Spiderman' climbs London Eye

2004-09-11 17:13

London - A divorced father demanding access to his daughter scaled the London Eye Ferris wheel on Saturday dressed as Spiderman.

A spokesman for British Airways, which co-owns the attraction, said the man climbed the 137m wheel beside the River Thames just before 04:00.

At the top, he unfurled a banner reading "In the name of the father."

The protest group Fathers 4 Justice, which has staged similar demonstrations in the past, identified the man as David Chick, 37.

Last November Chick spent five days atop a 37m crane beside London's Tower Bridge, again dressed as Spiderman.

Fathers 4 Justice said Chick was angry because he had not seen his daughter in a year.

In a statement, Chick apologised to those inconvenienced by his protest, but said: "The British justice system has completely failed my child and I."

Two other supporters of the group were arrested in May after hurling purple cornstarch at Prime Minister Tony Blair from the visitors' gallery of the House of Commons.

BA said the London Eye would remain closed until Chick came down.

The company said it would investigate the security breach.

"We have extremely stringent security measures in place and will be looking urgently at how he got past them," a spokesman said on customary condition of anonymity. "It's unacceptable."

- AP