Woman accused of cutting skyscraper worker’s safety ropes 12 stories up

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A woman has been accused of cutting a construction worker’s safety ropes while he carried out work on a high-rise building in Benidorm, 12 stories up.

According to lawyers, the unnamed man was carrying out rehabilitation work on the facade of the building where the woman lived, EuroWeekly News reported.

He was suspended between the 12th and 13th floors, around 150ft up, using a system of ropes and levers to ensure his safety.

At this point the woman took out a sharp object and proceeded to cut one of the ropes that was helping secure him to the building, prosecutors claim.

Neighbours and colleagues shouted at the woman to stop any more ropes being cut. The worker was left hanging for his life using a cornice of the building but managed to get to safety.

The incident took place in January 2021 and was heard by the Provincial Court of Alicante on Monday, Sur in English reported.

Prosecutors are asking for the woman, who has been charged with attempted homicide, to be imprisoned for six years. The Independent has contacted Spanish prosecutors and police for comment.

Prior to her trial, the woman is said to have undergone a psychiatric evaluation after police originally believed she could be suffering from a mental health condition, according to a 2021 report.

ABC in Spain said at the time that the 51 year-old woman had disagreed with some repairs to the facade that had been approved by the residents association. Authorities said that patrols who attended the scene confirmed that the ropes had been cut with a knife.

A similar case was reported the same year in Thailand, when a resident of a high-rise condominium cut the support rope for two painters.

Angry that she wasn’t told they would be doing the work, the men were left hanging above the 26th floor until they were rescued by a couple, police said.