Man who died in Anstruther harbour thought to have been patient at Stratheden Hospital

An elderly man who died at Anstruther harbour at the weekend is believed to have taken his own life.

The Courier understands the 75-year-old, who has not been named, was seen on CCTV jumping into the freezing water at around 4pm on Saturday.

He is thought to have hung his jacket on a nearby fence before he leapt in.

Fife Constabulary have confirmed there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the man’s death and said a report would be submitted to the procurator fiscal.

A spokesman for the force said his name had not been released due to the circumstances of his death.

The dead man is believed to have been a patient at Stratheden Hospital near Springfield, where he had been receiving treatment. He had been on day release to visit a relative at the time of the tragedy.

As we reported, his body was pulled from the water by the RNLI after the alarm was raised by Kirkcaldy sailor Sandy Aitken.

A spokeswoman for NHS Fife, which runs Stratheden Hospital, said, “NHS Fife can confirm that we are aware that an individual was found in the harbour at Anstruther.

“We understand the police are investigating and we have no comment to make.”