Duo scale world's tallest freestanding climbing wall - before base jumping off

A man once jailed for climbing The Shard has now scaled the world's tallest freestanding climbing wall - before base jumping off.

George King, 24, and companion Gary Connery, 55, conquered the 37 metre structure without safety gear.

The duo travelled to Groningen, in the Netherlands, where they scaled the wall - named Excalibur - at 5am on Tuesday, July 16.

After completing the exhilarating climb to the top, they jumped off - immediately deploying their parachutes.

But while the wall was high enough to get the adrenaline pumping, it was thought to be too low for a successful BASE jump.

The pair took off as planned - with George hitting a fence and Gary landing in a tree. Neither were injured.

The daring stunt markets six years since George captured attention by free soloing the same wall on August 2, 2018.

Reflecting on his latest adventure, he said: "Back in 2018, free-soloing this wall was my first major project.

"If someone had told me then that six years later I'd be climbing it again and BASE jumping off it, I wouldn't have believed them.

"Not because I lacked the dream, but because 37 meters seemed too low for such a feat. Yes 37m is tall for a climbing wall. But very low for a BASE jump.

"Yet, here I am. Life is full of surprises.”

George, from Oxford, is most notorious for scaling The Shard in London, one of the UK's most iconic buildings, in 2019 aged just 19.

He was jailed for six months and served his time at HMP Pentonville.

Shortly after being released from custody he climbed the 23-storey Unex Tower in Stratford, east London, without ropes.

Accomplice Gary was equally as experienced - becoming the first person to land a wingsuit without a parachute

In 2012, he jumped into the Olympic Stadium dressed as the Queen during the London Olympic Ceremony.

Reflecting on the recent stunt, Gary added: “I cannot deny that there was great fear and trepidation involved in this.

"It was without doubt a funky climb, something I have never done before and a very low BASE jump with many obstacles, but with the support of such a great team member with commitment and belief in not only myself but our project, it is wonderful to know even at 55 years old I can still push these limits and overcome fears and show such great mental strength.”