Shoreham Airshow victims unlawfully killed by coroners
The 11 men who died when a plane crashed at the Shoreham Airshow were unlawfully killed, a coroner has ruled.
A Hawker Hunter aircraft crashed onto the A27 during an aerial display at the event in West Sussex on August 22, 2015.
The conclusion was reached Tuesday afternoon, more than seven years after the incident that injured 13 other people, including pilot Andrew Hill.
West Sussex Senior Coroner Penelope Schofield said: “Eleven innocent lives were horribly lost, lives cut short. This tremendous loss will be borne by their families for the rest of their lives.”
Some family members of the victims were present and weeping as the conclusion was announced at County Hall in Horsham.
Mr Hill was charged with gross negligence on 11 counts of manslaughter but was found not guilty on all counts in March 2019. He claims he has no memory of the crash.
He was not called as a witness because he had submitted evidence to the investigation.
Mr Hill’s request for Ms Schofield’s pre-trial review in September to be barred from wrongful death conviction was denied.
The 11 victims were Anthony Brightwell, 53, from Hove; Daniele Polito, 23, from Goering; Dylan Archer, 42, from Brighton; Jacob Schilt, 23, from Brighton; James Mallinson, 72, of Newick; Mark Reeves, 53, of Seaford; Mark Trussler, 54, from Worthing; Matthew Grimstone, 23, from Brighton; Matthew Jones, 24, from Littlehampton; Maurice Abrahams, 76, from Brighton; and Richard Smith, 26, from Hove.
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/23203376.shoreham-airshow-victims-unlawfully-killed-rules-coroner/?ref=rss Shoreham Airshow victims unlawfully killed by coroners
