Army sergeant appears in court charged with attempting to murder his wife twice in ten days after ‘tampering’ with her PARACHUTE
South-African born sergeant allegedly tampered with a domestic gas fitting and faces two charges of attempted murder and one of criminal damage
AN Army sergeant arrested after his skydiving wife’s parachute failed to open properly appeared in court yesterday accused of trying to murder her.
Victoria Cilliers, 40, survived the 4,000ft plunge but suffered multiple serious injuries and spent three weeks in hospital.
Her canopy was sabotaged as Sgt Emile Cilliers, 36, tried to kill her twice in the space of ten days, prosecutors claim.
He also allegedly tampered with a domestic gas fitting.
The South African-born sergeant was taken into custody in May — a year after his wife’s jump in Netheravon, Wilts.
At the time of his arrest he was working as an instructor with the Royal Army Physical Training Corps attached to the Royal Marines.
He was bailed by Salisbury magistrates on condition he does not contact his wife.