TfL manager falls to death at office

A senior Transport for London (TfL) manager has died after falling from the top floor of its headquarters. There are claims that it happened soon after Jack Shemtob, 53, was told he was among several hundred staff to lose their jobs.

Police are helping a coroner determine the circumstances in which the married father-of-two died. He was seen falling six storeys and landing in the lobby of TfL's new offices in Greenwich, south-east London, by horrified colleagues last Friday. He was pronounced dead at the scene by attending paramedics; his death is not being treated as suspicious.

The company refused to confirm or deny whether Mr Shemtob, who had worked for TfL for about 30 years, fell to his death after being told he was to be made redundant.

However, it is understood he was in the "re-deployment unit" and had applied for about 10 other posts.

TfL'S cost-cutting programme includes widespread redundancies of middle management posts. About 3,000 jobs have already disappeared, including 800 station staff, with another 1,500 currently under threat.

Mr Shemtob's friends have described his death as a "bolt from the blue". One friend said that he had been "very disturbed" about something of late. His widow, Susan, has been too traumatised to comment.

A TfL spokesperson said: "One of our colleagues tragically died at our Pier Walk building on Friday. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family, friends and colleagues."