VICTORIA ‘THROWN AROUND’ BY CHUTE
Cilliers murder bid trial
AN ARMY physio was violently thrown around as she spiralled to the ground after her reserve parachute failed, a jury heard yesterday.
Emile Cilliers, 37 is on trial at Winchester Crown Court. He denies attempting to murder his wife Victoria, 40, by tampering with her parachute before she jumped at Netheravon, Wiltshire, on April 5, 2015.
The Army sergeant also denies trying to kill his wife by damaging a gas valve at their home a few days earlier.
Justin Everett, formerly of Royal Artillery parachute display team the Black Knights, told the court he was drop zone controller at the time of the fall.
He said he spoke to experienced parachutist Victoria briefly before the jump and “she didn’t seem any different to normal”.
Describing her jump, he said: “Straight away I could see the reserve was not working correctly.
“The reserve parachute was spiralling with only one side attached and the person underneath was being violently thrown around.
“I dialled 999 straight away. I knew there would be a serious injury so I tried to get an air ambulance on scene as quickly as possible.”
Fellow parachutist Brian Gardner told the court: “I landed normally and then I kind of heard a scream.
“I looked up, that’s when I saw a parachute. It took me a while to see that it was a reserve that was malfunctioning.
“The parachutist started spiralling faster and faster. She went down behind the hangars and trees.”
Brian told the court that prior to the jump, he had carried out a check of Victoria’s equipment to ensure it was all present.
Army Parachute Association chief rigger George Panagopoulos said Cilliers had attended an advanced course in 2012 and had “100 per cent” knowledge of how to assemble and pack a reserve parachute.
The trial continues.