Portsmouth man who got stuck in lift for seven hours feared he may die after experiencing 'the most horrible night of my life'

Azizul Rayhan, 27, got stuck in the elevator at Victory Business Centre, Fratton.

The paralegal spent seven hours in the confined space, and was ‘very scared’ about what might happen.

Now Portsmouth City Council says it has launched a review into its contract with a security firm whose guard should have checked the building between midnight and 3am.

Mr Rayhan told The News: ‘It was a very horrible experience. I thought the wires had severed or cut down, and I was going to fall down.

‘I thought that something bad would happen to me, like I might even die, because I did not know if there was enough oxygen in there.’

The Fratton resident went to the building on July 17 to collect belongings from his brother’s ground floor office.

At roughly 10.45pm, he took the lift up to the first floor to use the toilet, but disaster struck when he returned.

After Mr Rayhan pressed the ground floor button, the lift moved slightly but then shuddered to a halt and started shaking.

He pressed the emergency button to call for help, but no answer came.

‘If it worked, I would have been out of there in 30 minutes or so,’ he added.

‘I was screaming the whole night for help, but no-one was around.’

At one point, the paralegal tried to escape by using his keys.

He managed to prise open the first lift door, but could not open the second as it was too heavy.

Mr Rayhan said the fresh air gave him some relief, as he tried to control his mind.

He was finally rescued at 5.45am by business centre employee, Mark Parratt, who used office equipment to free him.

The paralegal said he thinks he has developed claustrophobia and a fear of confined spaces – being so panicked at one point he could not breathe.

He added that he has been referred to talking therapy by his GP.

‘I was still shaking when I was rescued,’ he said.

‘I couldn’t talk for 30 minutes afterwards.

SEE ALSO: Southsea bar to expand operations as it welcomes chef with Michelin experience to introduce food offerings

‘It was the most horrible night of my life and my mental suffering is indescribable.’

Mr Rayhan thinks lifts and the emergency buttons should be checked every week, and maintenance be taken more seriously.

He advised people to control their thoughts if they end up stuck in a lift – inspired by a book called Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins.

Portsmouth City Council has apologised to Mr Rayhan, and sent him a gift.

A spokesman said a specialist lift contractor checks the mechanism and phone alert system every two months, but both developed independent faults since June.

They confirmed it is now fully working.

‘We fully understand what an awful experience this must have been for this gentleman and have every sympathy with him,’ he added.

‘The lift malfunctioned and no phone alert was triggered when the gentleman pressed the alarm button.

‘An alarm did ring on-site. The business centre is open 24 hours, but no-one was around to hear this.

‘We hire a security company to make routine visits every night between midnight and 3am.

‘The on-site alarm would normally have been heard by their security guard.

‘The guard failed to make the scheduled visit. We're urgently undertaking a full review of our contract with the company.’