Danish sailor hospitalized after attempting suicide at sea

Henry Tarp, a 46-year-old sailor, is lucky to be alive, after spending 10 hours in the sea, following a botched suicide attempt. Tarp was hospitalized after he came ashore at Sion Hill Bay last Sunday morning.{{more}}

The rumour mills and talk shows went into overdrive, reporting that the sailor had been robbed, stabbed and left for dead, but managed to swim ashore. However, Tarp set the story straight when SEARCHLIGHT visited him at the Male Medical Ward of the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) on Monday.

Tarp said that he had a lot of problems and didn’t want to live anymore, so he stabbed himself in the neck with a pen knife then jumped over board and swam out to sea last Saturday night. He further stated that after a while, he changed his mind and began swimming towards shore, where he was rescued.

The Danish citizen said that he came to St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) aboard a 47-foot sailing yacht named Lucia, which was docked off Young Island, when he attempted to kill himself. He also said that he has made 27 previous visits to SVG.

While a patient at the MCMH, Tarp was under police guard. He was discharged on Wednesday, and left for Germany the same day. A police source told SEARCHLIGHT that Tarp is wanted in Denmark for unspecified crimes.