Latest news with #SkyDiveMurderPlot
Irish Daily Mirror
01-08-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Husband's horrifying murder plot exposed after wife survives 4,000ft plunge
After witnessing a woman plummet from an aircraft 4,000 feet above, horrified spectators could only look on helplessly as her body crashed into the earth. It had initially seemed like a tragic accident, both the primary and backup parachutes that experienced skydiver Victoria Cilliers had been relying on that day refused to deploy – but the sinister truth was that the horrifying incident had been an a deliberate attempt at murder. Speaking on the documentary SkyDive Murder Plot, Rob Camps, secretary of the parachuting club at Nertheravon Airfield in Witfield, described how it appeared almost as though a "bag of washing" had been hurled from the aircraft. Rob recalled that it was "sickening" to witness as Victoria plummeted for approximately 25 seconds. He had presumed that her descent would prove deadly, and had even seized a body-bag before rushing to the field where she had crashed. However, what Paul uncovered in the days after the dreadful incident proved that Victoria's sickening plunge had been planned in advance. Victoria Cilliers in the field where she landed (Image: Storyfilms TV) Victoria was a seasoned skydiver, a qualified accelerated freefall (AFF) instructor with 2,654 jumps under her belt, yet nothing she could have done during that terrifying 25-second descent could have stopped that bone-shattering collision. But, against all the odds, Victoria survived. She had sustained serious spinal and internal injuries, along with a fractured pelvis and five broken ribs, but was sufficiently recovered to be questioned by police several days afterwards. Police became interested in Victoria's accident after examining her parachutes revealed that the soft links – crucial components known to experts as "slinks" – appeared to be absent from both parachutes. Accident investigators recorded video footage of the moment they unpacked Victoria's faulty 'chute (Image: PA) Without these vital parts, leaping from an aircraft at 4,000 feet would virtually guarantee death. Rob Camps had contacted police after inspecting her parachute and discovering what had occurred. Investigators' suspicions swiftly turned to Emile Cilliers, Victoria's husband and father of her two children. He had been present with her the day before, when a scheduled parachute jump had been cancelled due to poor weather conditions, and had mysteriously taken her parachute with him into the toilets when one of their children announced she needed the loo. Wiltshire Police's suspicions fell upon Victoria's husband Emile Cilliers (Image: PA) Analysis of the 38 year old army officer's mobile phone records revealed that he had not only been having an affair with another woman, an Austrian skydiving instructor he'd encountered on Tinder, but had also accumulated substantial debts through his frequent use of prostitutes. However, the challenge for detectives probing the case was that Victoria couldn't bring herself to believe that the father of her two children would ever wish to murder her. She remained captivated by the charismatic South African even after evidence surfaced that the tampering with Victoria's parachute wasn't Emile's first attempt on her life. Six days prior to that tragic parachute jump, Victoria had detected a powerful gas odour in her kitchen. Emile hadn't been home, informing his wife he was remaining at the military barracks to ensure an early morning start. Investigation of the gas pipework entering the property revealed conclusive proof that Emile had interfered with the valve – and that he had been entirely prepared to murder his children alongside his wife. An examination of his online browsing history demonstrated he had been investigating the availability of wet-nurses to feed their newborn infant before his wife's anticipated "accident." Emile Cilliers also loosened a gas valve in their kitchen in hope of killing his wife and children (Image: PA) Nevertheless, Victoria struggled to acknowledge the reality, even when police confronted her with the undeniable evidence of her husband's culpability. She eventually consented to give evidence against him, but in a dramatic turn altered her testimony in the witness box, suggesting the possibility that she might somehow have been responsible for the incident. She gave evidence that she had misled officers during her original interviews, and had overstated the duration he had spent with her parachute: "I made it sound worse than it was because I was humiliated. I wanted him to suffer." Emile persistently refuted attempting to murder his wife throughout a seven-week hearing at Winchester Crown Court and the jury ultimately delivered a message to the judge declaring they would be unable to reach a decision. With the possibility of a retrial looming, DI Paul Franklin and DC Maddy Hennah found themselves back at square one. As police unravelled his story, police began to see Emile Cilliers as a narcissistic psychopath (Image: Getty Images Europe) They relentlessly gathered additional evidence, questioning Emile's former wife, Carly Cilliers, who is the mother of two of his elder children. Their investigation revealed that he had also rekindled his romance with her. DI Franklin observed that Emile's capacity to deceive all the women in his life with such ease was characteristic of a psychopath. He went on: "He can have a conversation with his wife about picking up the children or a bit of shopping at the same time as arranging to meet someone he knows from Fabswingers for some weekend fun, and ringing someone from Adultwork to see if they are available. "Three totally separate conversations at the same time, managed in such a way that there was never a wrong phone call to the wrong person. When you see that repeated constantly for years, you see what kind of person he was." (Image: Storyfilms TV) Even following Victoria's life-threatening plunge, Emile was messaging sex workers from beside her hospital bed and organising encounters with them in the vicinity. However, Emile's web of deception started to crumble during his retrial and he was convicted of two counts of attempted murder, plus a third charge of recklessly endangering life. He was handed a minimum 18-year prison term. Meanwhile – at the very same parachute club where she so narrowly cheated death – Victoria encountered former Royal Marine Simon Goodman and the pair wed in October 2024.
Daily Mirror
01-08-2025
- Daily Mirror
Woman smashed into ground from 4,000ft and survived – then terrifying truth emerged
A woman who miraculously escaped death after her parachute failed discovered that her horrific fall was no accident – and that her husband had tried to kill her twice After seeing a woman jump from an aircraft 4,000 feet up, onlookers could only watch in horror as her body slammed into the ground. In what at first appeared to be a freak accident, both the main and reserve chutes that keen skydiver Victoria Cilliers had been using that day failed to open. Speaking on the documentary SkyDive Murder Plot, Rob Camps, secretary of the parachuting club at Nertheravon Airfield in Witfield, said that it looked almost as if a 'bag of washing' had been thrown out of the plane. He added that it was 'sickening' to watch as Victoria fell for around 25 seconds. He had assumed that her fall would be fatal, and had even grabbed a body-bag before running to the field where she had landed. But what Paul discovered in the days following the horrific incident revealed that Victoria's fall had been no accident – but attempted murder. Victoria was an experienced skydiver, an accredited accelerated freefall (AFF) instructor with 2,654 jumps to her name, but nothing she could do during that terrifying 25-second fall could have prevented that bone-crushing impact. But miraculously, Victoria survived. She had suffered severe spinal and internal injuries, as well as a broken pelvis and five broken ribs, but was well enough to be interviewed by police a few days later. Police took an interest in Victoria's accident after an examination of her parachutes had revealed that the soft links – important components known to insiders as 'slinks' – seemed to be missing from both of parachutes. Without them, jumping out of an aircraft from 4,000 feet would mean almost certain death. Rob Camps had called in the police after he checked her parachute and realised what had happened. Investigators' suspicions quickly fell upon Emile Cilliers, Victoria' husband and the father of her two children. He had been with her the previous day, when a planned parachute jump had been called off due to bad weather, and had inexplicably carried her parachute with him into the loos when one of their children said she needed to use the toilet. Study of the 38-year-old army officer's phone records indicated that he had not only been cheating on his wife with another woman, an Austrian skydiving instructor he'd met on Tinder, but had also amassed significant debts due to his regular use of sex workers. But the problem for detectives investigating the case was that Victoria was unable to accept that the father of her two children could ever want to kill her. She remained under the charismatic South African's spell even after evidence emerged that the sabotage of Victoria's parachute was not Emile's first attempt on her life. Six days before that fateful parachute jump, Victoria had noticed a strong smell of gas in her kitchen. Emile had not been at home, telling his wife he was staying at the army barracks so he could get an early start in the morning. Examination of the gas pipes leading into the house showed irrefutable evidence that Emile had tampered with the valve – and that he had been perfectly willing to kill his children, as well as his wife. A check of his internet search history showed that he had been researching the availability of wet-nurses to feed their newborn baby before his wife's expected death. Still, Victoria found it hard to accept the truth, even after police presented her with the irrefutable evidence of her husband's guilt. She did eventually agree to testify against him, but in a huge twist changed her evidence on the witness stand, raising the possibility that she might somehow have been responsible for the accident. She testified that she had misled police in her initial interviews, and had exaggerated the time that he had been in the ops with her parachute: 'I made it sound worse than it was because I was humiliated. I wanted him to suffer." Emile consistently denied attempting to kill his wife throughout a seven-week trial at Winchester Crown Court and the jury eventually sent a note to the judge stating they would be unable to reach a verdict. With the prospect of a retrial, DI Paul Franklin and DC Maddy Hennah were sent back to the drawing-board. They doggedly assembled more evidence, interviewing Emile's ex-wife, Carly Cilliers, mother to two of his older children. They discovered that he had also rekindled his relationship with her. DI Franklin said that Emile's ability to lie so smoothly to all of the women in his life was the hallmark of a psychopath. He continued: 'He can have a conversation with his wife about picking up the children or a bit of shopping at the same time as arranging to meet someone he knows from Fabswingers for some weekend fun, and ringing someone from Adultwork to see if they are available. 'Three totally separate conversations at the same time, managed in such a way that there was never a wrong phone call to the wrong person. When you see that repeated constantly for years, you see what kind of person he was.' Even after Victoria's near-fatal fall, Emile was texting sex workers from her hospital bedside and arranging to meet them nearby. But Emile's lies began to unravel at his retrial and he was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder, as well as a third charge of recklessly endangering life. He received a minimum 18-year sentence. Meanwhile – at the same parachute club where she so narrowly escaped death – Victoria met former Royal Marine Simon Goodman and the two were married in October 2024.
