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Man fleeing intruders falls from third floor
Amanda O'Brien | January 19, 2009 | The Australian
A MAJOR security breach at the luxury Perth apartment block where troubled AFL star Ben Cousins has a million-dollar home nearly ended in tragedy when a resident fell from a third floor balcony to escape two intruders.
Jason Murray, 33, who lives directly below Cousins in the high-security complex, scaled his balcony wall on Saturday night trying to escape the men, who kicked in his door. He fell after they reportedly followed him across to an adjoining apartment's balcony.
A fly in, fly out underground miner with BHP Billiton, Mr Murray was rushed to hospital unconscious and having convulsions. But he was lucky to escape major injury after landing on reeds abutting a pond in parkland adjoining the building.
His escape follows the tragedy last October in Sydney when two students fell, one to her death, from a balcony while escaping an intruder.
Home yesterday sporting a severely swollen eye and a sore back and neck, Mr Murray said he was lucky not to be killed as he pointed out the flattened reeds that saved him, and his smashed front door.
The Australian understands Cousins still owns his apartment in the complex in the trendy southern suburb of Burswood, where he was seen recently, despite moving to Melbourne last month after joining Richmond to restart his football career.
Security key cards are needed to access both the building entrance and the lifts, and it was not known how the intruders gained access.
Mr Murray told The Australian the drama began when someone started banging on his door about 8pm on Saturday. He was not expecting visitors so did not open it.
"When I then heard them kicking the door, I climbed out on the balcony and sort of slipped around to the next-door neighbour's front balcony," he said. "Then they kicked it clean open and were on my balcony trying to shimmy along to me."
Mr Murray said he recognised one of the intruders but declined to say how he knew him or why he would be targeted. Police confirmed they were looking for a person of interest.
Mr Murray did not remember falling but thought the men caught up with him and may have hit him with something.
"I can't remember going over or hitting the ground or even going to the hospital," he said. "I just remember waking up in the hospital."
Mr Murray said he moved in to the building, where an apartment is on the market for $1.2 million, only six weeks ago.
He said a neighbour who heard the uproar called an ambulance and he spent the night in hospital before discharging himself yesterday.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24929856-5006789,00.html
