Army sergeant Emile Cilliers tampered with parachute in bid to murder his wife, court told

Victoria (left) and Emile Cilliers who is on trial for attempting to kill her
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Hatty Collier4 October 2017
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An Army sergeant attempted to murder his wife by tampering with her parachute, causing her to spin thousands of feet to the ground, because he wanted to leave her for his Tinder lover, a court has heard.

Emile Cilliers, of the Royal Army Physical Training Corps, is accused of two counts of attempted murder, after his former wife, Victoria Cilliers suffered multiple serious injuries in the parachute jump on April 5 2015.

The 37-year-old is also accused of a third charge of damaging a gas valve at their home a few days earlier in an attempt to kill his 40-year-old wife.

After the gas leak, she jokingly texted him saying: "Are you trying to kill me?", to which he replied: "Seriously, why are you saying that?"

He is on trial at Winchester Crown Court.

Michael Bowes QC, prosecuting, said that the murder bids came as Cilliers told his lover, who he met through the Tinder dating app, that he was leaving his wife, a physiotherapist for the army.

Army sergeant Emile Cilliers, 36, arrives at Winchester Crown Court
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He said that the defendant had lied to his lover and said that he was leaving his wife because he had discovered he was not the father of one of his children after she had been having an affair.

He added that the defendant, who was also having a sexual relationship with his previous wife, Carly Cilliers, had debts of £22,000 and he believed he would be set to receive a £120,000 insurance payout on her death.

Mr Bowes said: "Victoria, known as Vicky, Cilliers, a highly-experienced parachutist and parachute instructor, was involved in a near-fatal parachute fall at the Army Parachute Association Camp at Netheravon, Wiltshire.

"When she jumped out of the plane at 4,000ft (1,200m), both her main parachute and her reserve parachute failed, causing her to spiral to the ground.

"Those attending at the scene expected to find her dead, although she was badly injured, almost miraculously she survived the fall.

"Those at the scene immediately realised that something was seriously wrong with her reserve parachute, two vital pieces of equipment which fasten the parachute harness were missing.”

He continued: "The police investigation was widened to include the circumstances of a gas leak at Emile Cilliers' and Victoria Cilliers' home a few days before, and it was discovered that Emile Cilliers had deliberately caused a gas leak at the house just before he left the house to stay elsewhere."

Cilliers, of Aldershot, Hampshire, denies two charges of attempted murder and one of damaging a gas fitting belonging to his wife, reckless to endangerment of life.

The trial continues.

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