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Cilliers Trial UK.

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BBC News

Parachute trial: Soldier 'thought he would get £120k death payout'


01 May 2018 Wiltshire

A soldier accused of trying to kill his spouse by tampering with her parachute thought he would get a £120,000 life insurance payout, his wife told a jury.

Emile Cilliers, 38, of the Royal Army Physical Training Corps, denies two charges of attempted murder.

Winchester Crown Court heard that Mr Cilliers owed £19,000 to his wife Victoria Cilliers.

Mrs Cilliers also told the court she "elaborated" when she gave her original statement to police.

When questioned by the police in May 2015, Mrs Cilliers said Emile Cilliers had taken her parachute rig into the toilet with him at the airfield, and he was there "for about five minutes".

But on Tuesday, she told Winchester Crown Court that he had been quicker than she had first alleged and that she "elaborated".

"I'm not saying I'm lying completely. I was angry when I made that statement and lied throughout it in order to paint Emile in a bad picture," she told the prosecution.

No assets

Michael Bowes QC, for the prosecution, also took Mrs Cilliers through the couple's financial arrangements.

The court heard Mr Cilliers was £22,000 in debt.

Mrs Cilliers told Winchester Crown Court both she and her husband thought the insurance money would go directly to him rather than to her estate.

Documents read to the court showed that she had some savings and owned the family home in Amesbury, Wiltshire, while Mr Cilliers had no assets.

She was also questioned about her will, in which she left everything to her two children, unbeknownst to her husband.

The prosecution alleges Mr Cilliers sabotaged his wife's main and reserve parachutes, causing them to fail during a jump at the Army Parachute Association at Netheravon, Wiltshire, on Easter Sunday 2015.

Mrs Cilliers, described as "a highly experienced parachutist and parachute instructor", survived the 4,000ft (1,220m) fall with broken ribs and a shattered pelvis, which has been described by experts as "a miracle".

Now largely recovered from her injuries, Mrs Cilliers remained standing throughout her testimony.

Mr Cilliers, a sergeant in the Royal Army Physical Training Corps, denies two charges of attempted murder and another of criminal damage with reckless endangerment to life.

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On 3 separate counts, enough to establish that the incidents were more than coincidence....blood on the gas valve pretty damning. How he thought messing with a parachute would escape detection show him as not being very smart.

Sabotage of a parachute is a dog act, and the sentence should reflect that. Our sport relies heavily on trust.

His shenanigans with his ex wife and girlfriend while still married paint him as rather an unpleasant person with low morals.

Glad it was resolved finally. Did they give a date for sentencing?
My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

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Some expert advice on landing without a parachute "when you pull the cord to open the parachute. Except nothing happens".

Typical level of jounalism related to skydiving, with references to this case.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41883027

***********************************************
I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example

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mik

Some expert advice on landing without a parachute "when you pull the cord to open the parachute. Except nothing happens".

Typical level of jounalism related to skydiving, with references to this case.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41883027



The usual trick to surviving a fall like that is to throw your body at the ground and miss.

Also, don't listen to anyone saying "You can't possibly be flying" because if you start believing them they will be suddenly, irrevocably and painfully be right.
"That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport."
~mom

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mr2mk1g

Craig, is there any movement in STC to refer Cilliers to a disciplinary tribunal and strip him of his licence? Seems a fairly open and shut case for using their powers here: http://www.bpa.org.uk/forms/download/324/pdf It would be nice to know he's not going to rock up at a DZ when he gets out on parole.



His licence would be invalid after 18 years anyway. And he won't be forgotten.

But it would be an appropriate gesture from the BPA anyway, to demonstrate skydivers revulsion and contempt for his actions, and to show the public how we view him.
My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

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I don't think we have any power to remove a licence (unlike a rating), only membership. And licences have no validity period either (unlike a rating). I very much doubt he's a current member anyway so we have no power over him until he tries to rejoin the association. But then (Devil's Advocate) he will have served his time, paid his debt to society, no? I note that the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 says that custodial sentences of over 4 years are never spent, but that is primarily to do with employment purposed.
Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live

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Would have thought it would fall under Section 10 of the ops manual. Simplest way would be for Mark Bayada as CCI to simply inform the BPA that he's been permanently grounded under paragraph 7.2 so as to prevent the issue of a new card.

Paragraph 7.1 says the grounding has to be for a breach of the ops manual but I'm sure we can shoe-horn attempting to murder someone into an ops manual breach somewhere - removal of reserve slinks ought to count as rigging without the appropriate packing certificate for example.

Mark's supposed to endorse the old card in red ink but as you say, he's probably not a current member so that step's rather redundant.

There are other provisions in paragraph 7 allowing STC to suspend people from parachuting for any safety reason.

Take your point re serving his time but he tried to murder one of our own using our very sport to do so. And his sentence is life - he's never actually rehabilitated, he's only released on licence once he's served the minimum term. A life sentence does actually mean life, even if they let you out of jail after a few years.

Plus if suspended he'd have a right of appeal and if STC felt he'd served his time then they could lift the suspension. If not suspended then all he has to do on release is send in his membership form and dues and hey presto he's able to turn up to a DZ and jump, assuming whoever does kit and docs in 10 years time doesn't recognise the name.

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Membership and licence are two different things. A licence is a certificate of proficiency and can't be revoked once earned. The card you are talking about to be endorsed refers to the membership card.

I get rather uncomfortable when people (especially lawyers) talk about "shoehorning" things! :P

I realise that this is very close to home and that makes it all the more abhorent, but I think you'd be surprised at the number of ex-cons amongst our numbers. Picking on this very particular crime and the method in which it is carried out could perversely lead to us being accused of discrimination, as ridiculous as that sounds.

Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live

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He's damaged the image of skydiving and brought the sport into disrepute because of his actions.

For those reasons alone, I would think the BPA could pass a motion to ban him for life, at an AGM.

I would hope someone brings such a motion to an AGM, regardless. I don't think anyone would regard that as unconstitutional or unfair.

I doubt he would have the balls to show his face on a DZ ever again anyway.
My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

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In this side topic of skydiving memberships & ratings:

I have found it interesting how different organizations deal with people who have run afoul of the law. Some organizations may have some morals clause, some may not, and to what degree it can be applied can vary. Some types of status can be considered earned and can never be taken away, or is it an ongoing thing which may be maintained only with the favour of the organization? Is the status with the organization considered some sort of right that is independent of criminal status or not? To what degree is the organization a 'professional' one or one concerned with an individual's status?

If someone turns out to be a murderer (convicted with appeals exhausted), can they still have the Medal of Honor? Keep their civil engineering license? Keep their Six Sigma accreditation? Keep their Masters Degree and be a summa cum laude graduate of whatever? Keep their Olympic medal? Be in the list of world records of an FAI or International Association of Athletics Federations sport? Stay in the baseball hall of fame? Maintain certification for as a state-recognized hair stylist? Hold a small business license? Remain an FAA rigger? Be a member of the USPA, or hold their instructor rating? Maintain a New York City library card?

I'm not looking for answers here; just wanted to point out issues, as CPoxon has already done.

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shorehambeach

Would the BPS's blanket insurance policy that covers us have any provisos that would preclude him from future blanket coverage?



Not that I can see. Again, what would you be looking for? A blanket ban against all criminals? Just ones with unspent convictions/on licence? For specific crimes such as murder? For extreme edge cases such as when carried out using parachute equipment? Besides, the insurers and / or policy will probably change over the next 18 years.
Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live

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