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SERIOUS MESSAGE: From left, Detective Superintendent Barbara Franklin, of Northumbria Police, Professor Douglas Turkington, chairman, and Claire Bethel, of the NHS Suicide Task Forcem, Bernie Paes, director of Tyneside Samaritans, Peter Wightman, of Newcastle City Council, and Suzanne McIvor, of Samaritans Northern Region, unveil the signs on the Tyne Bridge
A RADIO station has defended
a breakfast DJ who played
the Van Halen song Jump
while discussing efforts by the
Samaritans to stop people
throwing themselves off the
Tyne Bridge.
Tony Horne of the Newcastle-
based Metro Radio played
the opening notes of the Eighties
tune as he talked about the
charity putting up signs to reduce
suicide.
The region has England's
highest suicide figures and the
temporary signs were put up
to encourage people at risk to
seek help.
Last night, Mr Horne's actions
were branded insensitive
by Shirley Smith, the mother
of teenager Daniel O'Hare,
who hanged himself in March
2005 at the family's home in
Great Lumley, near Chester-le-
Street.
She said: "For him to belittle
such a sensitive and serious
issue is very sad.
"He should spend half an
hour with families of people
who have taken their own lives
to see how devastating it is.
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"He has caused a lot of offence
and he does not know
what he is talking about, so he
should keep his mouth shut."
Mr Horne's programme director,
Trevor James, said: I
accept that the decision to
play the first two notes from
the Van Halen song might give
offence, but I defend Metro
Radio's right to discuss such
sensitive issues.
"Tony likes to push the envelope.
That's why he has the
most listened-to breakfast
show in the North East.
He has a tendency to say
what people are thinking, but
may be too scared to say it
themselves.
The points Tony made
were all fairly debated and
everything we do is balanced.
He played the first two
notes from the song, which
was, in hindsight, probably
not a clever idea. Had he
played any of the lyrics, that
would have been out of order,
but he just played the first
couple of notes."
The Samaritans also condemned
Mr Horne's "joke".
Spokeswoman Suzanne
McIvor said: "Samaritans is
deeply concerned that some of
the comments broadcasted by
Tony Horne could be seen as
making light of or dismissing
people who are suicidal, vulnerable
and in emotional distress
and could have caused a
lot of extra heartache for people
bereaved by suicide at this
very poignant time of year."
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