Families’ shock at Old Bailey as crash pilot is cleared of all charges
BY LOUIE SMITH RELATIVES of the 11 men killed in the Shoreham air show disaster told of their devastation yesterday as pilot Andrew Hill was cleared of manslaughter.
Hill, 54, was attempting a loop the loop in a Hawker Hunter jet at the air show when he crashed on to the A27 in Sussex in a fireball in August 2015.
Prosecutors said the former RAF man had a “cavalier” attitude to safety and a history of playing “fast and loose” with rules.
But Hill claimed he blacked out and suffered “cognitive impairment” – possibly due to G-force.
After being found not guilty of 11 charges of manslaughter by gross negligence, he broke his four-year silence outside the Old Bailey.
He began his statement by naming all 11 victims: Maurice Abrahams, 76; Dylan Archer, 42; Tony Brightwell, 53; Matthew Grimstone, 23; Matt Jones, 24; Graham Mallinson, 72; Daniele Polito, 23; Mark Reeves, 53; Jacob Schilt, 23; Richard Smith, 26; and Mark Trussler, 54.
He then added: “I am truly sorry for the part I played in their deaths and it is they I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Relatives wept and shook their heads in court as the verdict was read, and lawyers for the families have said the fight for justice will go on.
Sue and Phil Grimstone, who lost son Matthew, said: “Obviously we are devastated. There seems to be no justice for our son Matthew and all 11 men who died in such tragic circumstances.”
Lesley Polito, who lost son Daniele, said: “I feel very upset and let down by the justice system when someone who has clearly made some very bad errors of judgment is allowed to walk free.”
Daniele is survived by two young sons – one of whom he never met.
Judge Mr Justice Edis acknowledged the families were “upset” but praised their “very dignified” reaction to the verdicts.
Hill, who was a captain with British Airways, survived the crash after being thrown clear. He suffered fractures to his ribs and lower spine and a collapsed lung, and told medics he had “blacked out in the air”.
There is no legal bar to him flying again but he currently has no valid licence.