A NORTH-EAST stockbroker who feared he was going to lose his job leapt to his death from an eighth-storey rooftop restaurant in London.

Anjool Malde, from Yarm, who was also a successful entrepreneur, jumped from Coq d'Argent at No 1 Poultry, near the Bank of England, days before his 25th birthday, on Sunday.

Mr Malde, a stockbroker for Deutsche Bank, had been asked to leave work early by bosses on Friday following “an inquiry into an IT matter”.

A close friend, who saw Mr Malde at the weekend before he killed himself on Sunday, said he was “obviously upset” but would not go into detail about the nature of the problems he was having with his employer.

She said: “We are all truly devastated. You don't just walk off the top of a building unless something hugely upsetting has happened. His parents are in pieces. They have lost their only baby.”

A spokesman at Deutsche Bank said Mr Malde was asked to leave work at 3pm on Friday but refused to go into detail about it.

He said: “We are deeply saddened by our colleague's death, and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this time.”

Mr Malde's parents Naina and Bharat are said to be “deeply shocked” by the death of their only son, who was known as Jools by his friends.

Mr Malde, who was said to be a big Michael Jackson fan, was upset by the star's death.

In 2005 Mr Malde was runner-up in Graduate of the Year, a national competition looking for students who have made the most of university life, winning £2,000.

He took his GCSE exams at Conyers School, Yarm, and his A-levels at Egglescliffe School before being awarded a place at St Peter's College, Oxford.

At Oxford University, he was a BBC radio presenter and music journalist, held more than 20 positions on university societies including news editor of the student paper and treasurer of the United Nations Association, while running an online music service and a banking forum, along with studying for his degree.

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