Depressed expat in harbour suicide
AN expatriate who fled recession-hit Britain earlier this year to look for work has been found dead in Victoria Harbour - only two days after jumping from a Cheung Chau ferry in an earlier suicide bid.
Joseph Ursil Augustus, 39, is believed to have suffered severe depression after marital problems following his move to the territory.
Augustus, who left his wife Catherine and two children behind in London three months ago, was found off Western on Friday afternoon by a police constable. He had just checked himself out of Queen Mary Hospital where he was taken on Wednesday after leaping from a ferry. He was rescued by a ferry worker.
The Cheung Chau resident was one of hundreds of expatriates who have recently flooded into Hongkong to escape unemployment and the economic ills of their own countries.
It is believed Augustus had been unable to find full-time work as a draftsman in the territory.
Hongkong has become a major destination for architects and draftsmen due to the multi-billion dollar construction projects underway in the territory.
A friend said that after he arrived in Hongkong, Augustus appeared to be having marital problems, trying to persuade his wife to join him from their home in West London. He had been ''terribly depressed'', the friend said. ''When I last saw him he seemed in a terrible state. '' On Wednesday, Augustus jumped off the top deck of the Central to Cheung Chau ferry, Man Fee, while it was still moored at the Outlying Islands terminal.
A seaman on the vessel, Mr Ho Chu, 41, dived into the water from the lower deck and swam about 30 metres to where Augustus had hit the water and held him until a small boat arrived.
A Hongkong ferry spokesman said Mr Ho would be recommended for a bravery award for his actions.
London police have been informed of the death. A post-mortem examination will be held this week.
