Ex-paratrooper attempts record jump from helicopter without parachute

A former paratrooper has attempted a new world record for jumping from an aircraft into water without a parachute.

John Bream, 34, nicknamed "the Flying Fish", dropped about 130ft (40m) from a helicopter off Hayling Island on the Hampshire coast.

Support divers said he was briefly unconscious when he hit the water and was taken to hospital as a precaution.

He was raising money for mental health charities for services personnel.

The former member of the Parachute Regiment from Havant, Hampshire, fell about four seconds before hitting the Solent at about 80mph (130km/h).

Divers who reached Mr Bream after the jump said he had landed awkwardly and was briefly unconscious after hitting his head.

He was later seen walking and chatting with paramedics as he was being checked over.

John Bream was picked up by his support boat after the jump

Cash raised from Mr Bream's attempt will be donated to the All Call Signs and the Support Our Paras charities.

Speaking in July, he said knowing veterans who had taken their own lives was "so painful".

"The transition from the military is difficult but I want to show that we don't need to live in the past and we all can still achieve brilliance," he said.

A spokesperson for Guinness World Records said it was still awaiting evidence of Mr Bream's attempt and could not verify it until then.

John Bream, from Havant, Hampshire, is nicknamed the Flying Fish