Judge tells jurors to ignore court Army sergeant remark

The attempted murder case against an army sergeant who allegedly tried to kill his wife by tampering with her parachute before a skydive was dramatically brought to a halt today after the judge told jurors to ignore a remark by a ‘new and untrained’ court official.

The case, involving Sgt Emile Cilliers, 37, who serves with the Royal Army Physical Training Corps, was held up for the morning while a judge and barristers discussed the unusual issue. 

Cilliers is also accused of attempting to murder wife Victoria, 40, a few days earlier when he damaged a gas valve at their home in Amesbury, Wiltshire.  

Cilliers allegedly wanted to get his hands on his wife’s life insurance to pay off his debts, and was having flings with his ex-wife Carly, 38, and with lover Stefanie Goller. 

The jury made up of nine women and three men has been told Cilliers, who had around £22,000 of debts, believed he would receive £120,000 life insurance as a result of Mrs Cillier’s death.

Also today, the court was shown the parachute Cilliers is alleged to have tampered with. 

Mrs Cilliers’ main and reserve parachute failed, causing her to spin to the ground.

Miraculously she survived the 4,000ft fall but broke her pelvis, ribs and fractured her vertebra thanks in part to a freshly ploughed field and her light weight.

But the trial, expected to last five weeks at Winchester Crown Court, Hampshire, was delayed this morning after a juror’s note revealed a court staff member had commented on the case.

Also today, the court was shown the parachute Cilliers is alleged to have tampered with. Mrs Cilliers’ main (pictured) and reserve parachute failed, causing her to spin to the ground

Miraculously she survived the 4,000ft fall but broke her pelvis, ribs and fractured her vertebra thanks in part to a freshly ploughed field and her light weight. Pictured, an inspection of the parachute lines after the incident 

Cilliers is also accused of attempting to murder wife Victoria, 40, (pictured on their wedding day in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2011) a few days earlier when he damaged a gas valve at their home in Amesbury, Wiltshire

Mrs Cilliers, pictured on another skydive, suffered multiple serious injuries in the fall in 2015

Cilliers is said to have started an affair with Stefanie Goller (above) after meeting her on Tinder

The jury heard Cilliers was involved in a sexual relationship with ex-wife Carly Cilliers (above)

Judge Justice Sweeney told jurors: ‘I am sorry you had a very long wait this morning which arises against this background – one of your number has entirely rightly sent me two notes raising concerns, and counsel have been helping me to address these concerns.’

The court heard the letter handed to the judge showed jurors’ questions in regards to Cilliers’ bail and employment had been answered by court staff.

In the letter written by a juror and read out by Mr Justice Sweeney, it said that the court staff member had commented on the case itself, implying she had an opinion.

It went on: ‘As jurors I feel we are taking this extremely seriously yet I was shocked that a court member would make such a simple mistake.’

Mr Justice Sweeney said: ‘It was entirely appropriate for a member to bring this to my attention.’

Pictured, an inspection of Victoria Cilliers’ parachute following the incident. The white material is the reserve parachute

The jury made up of nine women and three men has been told Cilliers, who had around £22,000 of debts, believed he would receive £120,000 life insurance as a result of Mrs Cillier’s death

He added: ‘Against the background of reminding you of those general notes, may I repeat you will decide the case only on the evidence that is put before you in this court room and what you apply in your joint common sense and experience of the world make of it.

‘It was wrong that a member of staff who is new and untrained spoke with you about the case as opposed to an administrative matter related to you or receiveing a note from you intended for me.

‘It should not have happened and it will not happen again. You must also make sure from your end that it does not do so ever again. 

‘As you have rightly been told in the opening, the burden of proving guilt is on the prosecution who must make a jury sure of guilt on the evidence, before a guilty verdict can be returned.

‘I am sorry something was said by a member of staff that should not have been said.

‘But now I have reminded you of your duties and spelt out in simple terms where the boundaries are between you and the court staff I am confident you will be able to conduct yourselves in accordance with the trial and duties we have gone through.

The court heard that in messages with Miss Goller (pictured), Cilliers suggested the chief rigger, who previously inspected the parachute, might be to blame for the faulty parachute

Two slinks, which attach the lines of the canopy to the rest of the rigging, were missing from one side of the parachute, the court heard, preventing it from working correctly. Pictured: Images show the use of slinks, also known as S-Links, on a chute

Parachute equipment is labelled above. Two vital pieces of equipment which fasten the parachute to the parachutist’s harness were missing, the court heard

‘I have made steps to ensure you are not put in any position like that in the future.’

Following the resumption of the trial, Mark Bayada, who has been chief instructor of the Army Parachute Association at Netheravon since 2013, continued giving evidence for a second day and told the court that during busy weekends, used parachutes could be left out overnight unpacked.

And he said it was ‘possible’ that club members might keep their ‘un-jumped’ parachutes out of the kit store overnight in order to be able to more efficiently jump the following day.

He previously told the court that he could not think of a reason why a piece of kit would be kept out of the store.

The prosecution allege that Cilliers deliberately kept his wife’s parachute in her locker overnight because he had already tampered with it and did not want it to be discovered.

Mr Bayada said: ‘The problem I have is it’s a club atmosphere, so jumpers do not want to burdened by rules and staff do not take enough care and attention.’

Mr Bayada said that in the days after the incident, Mrs Cillers’ father and the defendant visited him at the airfield.

He said: ‘I informed them what I knew of the incident at the time, I also felt I had to inform them that it was on base equipment, equipment under my responsibility, and it looked like the reserve had failed and the reserve was not rigged on.

‘It was quite a difficult conversation ultimately trying to tell people that it was an unusual cause of the accident.’

He said that they discussed insurance provided by British Parachute Association insurance, but he explained to them that ‘it doesn’t cover personal accident, it is only third party so would not pay out’. 

Mr Bayada said he had known Mrs Cilliers professionally but had also attended social events where she was present. 

Cilliers, now of Aldershot Barracks, Hampshire, denies two counts of attempted murder and criminal damage as to recklessly endanger life. 

Earlier, Winchester Crown Court heard that Mrs Cilliers only survived her husband’s attempt to sabotage her parachute through luck and a single attached line that made her fall from ‘survivable’. 

Mark Bayada, chief instructor of the Army Parachute Association at Netheravon since 2013, said it was ‘luck’ that Mrs Cilliers, 40, originally from Haddington, East Lothian, survived the jump.

The expert, who has been a parachutist with the military for 30 years, was one of the first people on the scene after Mrs Cilliers’ fall and later examined her kit.

He said two vital safety straps attaching the canopy to the harness were missing from the right-hand side of the reserve chute, causing it to tangle into a ball.

Cilliers ‘deliberately removed vital pieces of equipment intending that she should be killed when the reserve parachute inevitably failed’, the court was told

The reserve parachute for Victoria was immediately found to be faulty, the court was told

Evidence shown in court reveals the gas valve that is alleged to have been adjusted by Cilliers

The top arrow shows damage to a nut made by a pair of pliers found in a toolbox located in the utility room of Cilliers’s home

Prosecutors said that on forensic examination, the nut (left) revealed tool marks matching mole grips (right) seized from a toolbox locked in the utility room

The 37-year-old has served with the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers regiments since 2005

Only the single steering line remained on the right-hand side – but it was this millimetres-thick thread that saved her, Winchester Crown Court was told. Mr Bayada said: ‘There was one line attached. It gave the chute enough lift to be a survivable landing. Without doubt it would have been a fatal accident without that [steering line].’

Mr Bayada was working at the base on Salisbury Plain on April 5, 2015, when he received a ‘panicked’ call from a colleague saying: ‘Someone’s been killed.’

The court heard how Mr Bayada rushed out to where Mrs Cilliers had fallen with another colleague, who got to her first and yelled: ‘She’s not dead.’

Mr Bayada then drove back to the base to find doctors and medically trained club members. When he returned he saw Mrs Cilliers lying on her back with the reserve parachute on the left-hand side.

The reserve parachute was only moved to shield her from debris as the air ambulance landed nearby. 

The trial continues. 

Cilliers (pictured) allegedly collected a parachute for his wife and during the afternoon took it into the men’s toilets at the base, which is when the prosecution claim he tampered with it

Cilliers has served with the Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineer regiments

A photo issued by Wiltshire Police of the Netheravon Army Parachute Centre in the county

The incident took place at Netheravon airfield, on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire two years ago