Briton who drowned was senior bank exec

About 180 people were at rooftop bar of Fullerton Bay Hotel when the man fell

By Amanda Tan

There is a metal railing and a glass barrier along the edge of the rooftop Lantern bar at Fullerton Bay Hotel. Mr William Hart is believed to have breached both barriers before falling into the waters around Marina Bay on Thursday night. -- ST PHOTO: BRYAN VAN DER BEEK

A BRITISH man who died after falling nearly 30m from the rooftop of Fullerton Bay Hotel into the waters around Marina Bay last Thursday was the head of sales at the Bank of China International here.

Mr William Hart, 37, was at Lantern, a seventh-floor bar at the boutique hotel along Collyer Quay, when he was believed to have breached a metal railing and a glass barrier before plunging into the waters below at about 11.25pm.

Mr Giovanni Viterale, general manager of the hotel, told The Sunday Times that the Briton was in a group of four. It is believed one of them is a friend who was visiting from Canada.

While it is unclear how Mr Hart fell, one theory is that he had leapt from the rooftop in a game of dare.

There were about 180 guests at the bar when the incident happened, said Mr Viterale, who added that Mr Hart was not a regular customer at the bar.

When asked if staff members had noticed him climbing over the railing, Mr Viterale said: 'Unfortunately not, or we would have taken immediate and preventive action.'

Source The Straits Times