Heartbreaking tributes to mum-of-four killed in tragic tandem sky dive jump at Devon airfield
HEARTBREAKING tributes have poured in for a mum-of-four who was killed in a tragic tandem sky dive jump.
Emergency services rushed to Dunkeswell Airfield in Devon on Friday but two skydivers were both pronounced dead at the scene.
5
5
5
Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed that families of the skydivers had been informed and investigations into the incident were underway.
Now, heartfelt tributes have poured in for two people including mum-of-four Belinda Taylor.
Her eldest son Connor Bowles told DevonLive: "On Friday, June 13, our family lost our mum Belinda Taylor.
"She was a mother of four children, three adult boys and one teenage girl, and a grandmother to two young children.
"She was a selfless woman who wanted only the best for others and especially her loved ones. She will be deeply missed and will leave an everlasting impression on all those she has met in life.
"We as a family would like to ask for peace and privacy during this time whilst we grieve our loss and remember our mum as we should do.
"We would finally like to thank the police and investigators for the help they have already provided and the support that has been offered by them.'
Cops asked anyone with information on the tragedy to get in touch.
British Skydiving Chief executive Robert Gibson confirmed that a probe had been launched and his organisation was assisting authorities.
In a statement he said: "Today British Skydiving has been notified of a tragic accident in which two jumpers lost their lives.
"Our deepest condolences go to their families, friends and the entire skydiving community.
"A British Skydiving Board of Inquiry will investigate the accident.
"Once complete, a report will be submitted to the coroner, the police, the CAA, the British Skydiving Safety & Training Committee (STC) and any other relevant authorities.
"No further details will be provided at this time. We respectfully ask for privacy for all those affected at this difficult time."
Local charity Devon in Sight told how it had suspended its upcoming skydiving events while the investigation was ongoing.
CEO Grahame Flynn said: "Having undertaken two skydive challenges in 2018 and 2022 I know how meticulous the team at Skydive Buzz are in their training.
"In view of this tragic news our events planned for Saturday 21st June, Wednesday 25th June and Saturday 5th July are suspended pending investigation.
"Our Jump for Sight Challenges have raised significant funds for our work over the years.
"At this time our thoughts are with the instructor and student who lost their lives and their families, friends and colleagues.'
5
5
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
43 minutes ago
- Sky News
Nationwide police operation on grooming gangs announced
A nationwide police operation to track down those in grooming gangs has been announced by the Home Office. The National Crime Agency (NCA) will target those who have sexually exploited children as part of a grooming gang, and will investigate cases that were not previously progressed. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement: "The vulnerable young girls who suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of groups of adult men have now grown into brave women who are rightly demanding justice for what they went through when they were just children. "Not enough people listened to them then. That was wrong and unforgivable. We are changing that now. "More than 800 grooming gang cases have already been identified by police after I asked them to look again at cases which had closed too early. "Now we are asking the National Crime Agency to lead a major nationwide operation to track down more perpetrators and bring them to justice." 1:40 The NCA will work in partnership with police forces around the country and specialist officers from the Child Sexual Exploitation Taskforce, Operation Hydrant - which supports police forces to address all complex and high-profile cases of child sexual abuse - and the Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme. It comes after Sir Keir Starmer announced a national inquiry into child sex abuse on Saturday, ahead of the release of a government-requested audit into the scale of grooming gangs across the country, which concluded a nationwide probe was necessary. The prime minister previously argued a national inquiry was not necessary, but changed his view following an audit into group-based child sexual abuse led by Baroness Casey, set to be published next week. Ms Cooper is set to address parliament on Monday about the findings of the near 200-page report, which is expected to warn that white British girls were "institutionally ignored for fear of racism". One person familiar with the report said it details the institutional failures in treating young girls and cites a decade of lost action from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), set up in 2014 to investigate grooming gangs in Rotherham. The report is also expected to link illegal immigration with the exploitation of young girls. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, said on Saturday that Sir Keir should recognise "he made a mistake and apologise for six wasted months". Speaking to Sky's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Chancellor Rachel Reeves refused to say if the government will apologise for dismissing calls for a national public inquiry into grooming gangs. 18:00 She said: "What is the most important thing here? It is the victims, and it's not people's hurt feelings about how they have been spoken about."
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Grooming gangs will be tracked down & jailed as Keir Starmer warned of civil unrest if inquiry fails to get justice
GROOMING gang predators will be tracked down and jailed by elite cops — with Sir Keir Starmer warned of civil unrest if his new inquiry fails to get justice. The National Crime Agency will hunt abusers whose cases have been overlooked or closed by regional police. 3 PM Sir Keir finally announced a national inquiry on Saturday, after previously allowing only five local ones. It will have the power to force investigations into historic cases of grooming gang cover-ups. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: 'Keir Starmer should apologise to the victims for the cynical way that he tried to avoid a proper inquiry and for his insults to those that have tried ensure the perpetrators are held to account. 'If this turns out to be a whitewash, the fury of the country will be hard to control.' Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp added: 'The NCA announcement is a desperate smokescreen. Labour spent six months blocking a statutory inquiry. That is six months of delayed justice.' More than 800 cases have been reopened by police. The NCA will help cops improve investigations and end a culture of denial about the extent of the scandal. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: 'The vulnerable girls who suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of groups of adult men have now grown into brave women who are rightly demanding justice for what they went through. 'Not enough people listened to them then. That was unforgivable. We are changing that.' Baroness Casey's long-awaited report is today expected to say white girls targeted were 'institutionally ignored for fear of racism'. It will also link illegal migration with the abuse. Kemi Badenoch's bid for a national inquiry into child rape gangs was tonight blocked by Labour MPs 3 TRUTH WILL BE EXPOSED AT LAST By Julie Bindel, Feminist campaigner IT is time we knew the truth about the cover-ups, and held those responsible to account. I will never forget meeting a woman called Irene Ivison in 1996. Her daughter Fiona was murdered, aged 17, three years after being targeted by a grooming gang. Irene had desperately tried to get police and social services to intervene in the 'relationship' that began when her daughter was only 14. Fiona was forced into prostitution and killed by a punter. Since then I have met countless other victims. I wrote the first piece in the national press about the scandal, in 2007. I tried to get the liberal media to notice. But, because the abusers were predominantly Pakistani Muslim, they did not want to be seen as racist. This inquiry should expose the truth once and for all. And when it does, heads should roll.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
MI6 appoints first female spy chief in its 116-year history - as outgoing boss warns world has 'never been more dangerous'
MI6 will be led by a female spy chief for the first time in its 116-year-old history. Blaise Metreweli has been appointed as the next head of the Secret Intelligence Service, replacing Sir Richard Moore in the autumn. For decades, the 47-year-old has held some of the top roles in MI6, MI5 and the Foreign Office, but until now she has kept her true identity secret. In contrast to Bond author Ian Fleming's dismissive portrayal of 'blithering women who thought they could do a man's work', female spies have risen to the top of every UK intelligence agency, apart from MI6. It was 1995 when Dame Judi Dench became the first woman to take up the fictional 'M' character in the Bond movies. But in real life, it has taken considerably longer to appoint a woman to the role actually known as 'C', with MI6's current spymaster promising in 2023: 'I will help forge women's equality by working to ensure I'm the last C selected from an all-male shortlist.' Ms Metreweli will be the 18th chief in the organisation's history when she takes up the reins on September 30. The appointment comes at a time when Britain faces unprecedented threats from adversaries, with Sir Richard warning recently: 'I've never seen the world in a more dangerous state'. But Ms Metreweli has spent her career dealing with threats, once saying the beauty of her job was 'from morning to night, I look at where we can do our utmost to prevent harm'. She joined MI6 in 1999 first as a case officer, then agent runner, after studying social anthropology at Pembroke College, Cambridge where she rowed for the university. In one interview given anonymously in 2021, she described herself as being 'really fascinated by human behaviour and how and why people act', claiming anthropology was 'really useful for this job because it isn't really about states doing this to each other. It is individuals who do this.' She told the Telegraph at the time: 'Our adversaries are people and the victims are people and it is really important to see it on that level. 'I have lived in countries throughout my career where democratic principles and freedoms sometimes disappear overnight, or a free press squashed, and it makes you realise quite how special the UK is. 'It is really rare and really worth protecting.' MI6's new spy chief is keen to dispel the myths about the job being like James Bond, 'old school movies and novels territory'. She said female spies were a world away from the stereotypes in films where 'women in particular in this world are portrayed as psychologically damaged in some way'. After two decades at MI6 in operational roles in the Middle East and Europe, she transferred to the domestic spy agency where she presided over MI5's hostile states counter intelligence and oversaw the UK's response to the threat of cyber attacks. She was also responsible for the protective security of UK's national infrastructure. While at MI5, she called for the reform of the Official Secrets Act before the National Security Act made it illegal to spy for Britain's enemies. Last year she was presented with the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George by the King for 'services to British foreign policy' when she was Director General of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Currently, Ms Metreweli is known as 'Director General Q', responsible for technology and innovation in MI6. Yesterday she said: 'I am proud and honoured to be asked to lead my Service. MI6 plays a vital role - with MI5 and GCHQ - in keeping the British people safe and promoting UK interests overseas. I look forward to continuing that work alongside the brave officers and agents of MI6 and our many international partners.' The Prime Minister said: 'The historic appointment of Blaise Metreweli comes at a time when the work of our intelligence services has never been more vital. 'The United Kingdom is facing threats on an unprecedented scale – be it aggressors who send their spy ships to our waters or hackers whose sophisticated cyber plots seek to disrupt our public services. 'I'd like to thank Sir Richard Moore for his dedicated service, and I know Blaise will continue to provide the excellent leadership needed to defend our county and keep our people safe – the foundation of my Plan for Change.' Yesterday Sir Richard said: 'I am absolutely delighted by this historic appointment of my colleague, Blaise Metreweli to succeed me as 'C'. 'Blaise is a highly accomplished intelligence officer and leader, and one of our foremost thinkers on technology. I am excited to welcome her as the first female head of MI6.' Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: 'I am delighted to appoint Blaise Metreweli as the next Chief of MI6. With a wealth of experience from across our national security community, Blaise is the ideal candidate to lead MI6 into the future. 'At a time of global instability and emerging security threats, where technology is power and our adversaries are working ever closer together, Blaise will ensure the UK can tackle these challenges head on to keep Britain safe and secure at home and abroad. 'I would also like to pay tribute to Sir Richard Moore for his service and leadership. I have worked closely with him over the past year and thank him for his valuable contribution enhancing our national security and protecting the British public.'
