Malaysia/France
'Spiderman' fined for scaling nation's tallest building
Article published on the 2009-09-02 Latest update 2009-09-02 10:34 TU
Alain Robert leaves the courthouse in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday
(Photo: Reuters)
Robert’s ascent to the peak of the towers comes after two unsuccessful attempts over the past decade. When asked outside court why he pulled the stunt, he said climbing is his “passion” and his “life".
Robert had been held in custody overnight before being brought to court, where he pleaded guilty to criminal trespass and was fined 2,000 ringgit (398 euros), but escaped a possible six-month jail sentence.
"Everybody has been very nice," Robert said of his one-day incarceration.
His lawyer, Wong Kian Kheong, told the court that Robert was "a passionate climber" who had not caused any damage to property. He added that Robert had promised not to tackle any other Kuala Lumpur buildings in the future.
Robert celebrated his ascent Tuesday by standing with his arms outspread on the pinnacle of one of the towers, which are home to the state energy firm Petronas as well as many international companies.
He first tried to scale the building on March 20, 1997, and made a second unsuccessful attempt in 2007, after which he was freed without charge. Both times he reached the 60th storey before being intercepted by authorities.
In the past Robert has scaled Paris's Eiffel Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
The 452-metre Petronas Twin Towers were for the world's tallest buildings until they were upstaged by Taipei 101, in the Taiwanese capital, among others.
