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Mother of teen who climbed to top of Canary Wharf skyscraper: 'I’m extraordinarily proud'

The mother of a reckless thrill-seeker who was filmed climbing to the top of Canary Wharf’s One Canada Square has said she is “extraordinarily proud” of her son.

YouTuber Harry Gallagher, 19, and a friend videoed themselves sneaking past security and climbing to the top of the skyscraper - the second tallest in the capital.

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They climbed onto the roof and scaled the outside, filming themselves hanging off the edge of the building and even touching the tip of the famous pyramid at the summit.

The teenager shares footage of his daring escapades through a YouTube channel called Night Scape and has also scaled the Sidemen Tower, West Ham’s London stadium and the Orbit Tower in Stratford.

Thrill seekers: Harry Gallagher was filmed scaling London's second biggest building, One Canada Square: Night Scape
Thrill seekers: Harry Gallagher was filmed scaling London's second biggest building, One Canada Square: Night Scape

Despite the dangerous stunt, his mother Anna Gallagher, from Barkingside, told the Times she was “extraordinarily proud” of her son despite his risk-taking.

She added that she does not watch the videos of her son scaling skyscrapers and stadiums without a harness.

Mrs Gallagher, a croupier, told the newspaper: “It's a double-edge sword. Nobody wants their child risking life and limb.

“His [older] brother was the freerunner in the family but he gave it up because decided he didn't want to kill himself. Harry never had that fear.

“He just has this passion for it. He is fearless. You can’t stop that journey.”

Mrs Gallagher said she had “reconciled” herself to the risks taken by her son and was helping him to run an online shop where he sells “Night Scape” merchandise.

After the video of Mr Gallagher climbing One Canada Square was uploaded to YouTube, the owners of the building said they were investigating alongside police.

A spokeswoman for Canary Wharf Group, which owns One Canada Square, said: “We are actively investigating unauthorised entry into One Canada Square, on the Canary Wharf Estate.

"Security is taken extremely seriously at Canary Wharf. We invest heavily in our security and review the processes on a regular basis.

"Current arrangements have been tightened, while our security procedures are being reviewed and an internal investigation conducted. We are working closely with the Metropolitan Police on this matter.”