The pilot of a jet that crashed at the Shoreham Airshow in 2015, killing 11 men, has been found not guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence. Andrew Hill, 54, a former RAF pilot, was acquitted at the Old Bailey after the jury deliberated for seven hours over three days. The verdict prompted gasps and tears from the victims' families in the courtroom.
Mr Hill's defence argued that he suffered from 'cognitive impairment' at the time of the crash, possibly due to hypoxia from G-force, causing him to black out. The prosecution had claimed he began a loop manoeuvre despite flying too low and too slowly, but the jury accepted the defence's argument. Mr Hill was also formally acquitted of a separate count of endangering an aircraft.
Following the verdict, Sue and Phil Grimstone, whose son Matthew died in the crash, said there 'seems to be no justice' for the victims. They questioned the safety of aerobatic displays given the possibility of pilots becoming cognitively impaired. Oliver Morriss, nephew of victim Mark Reeves, expressed 'complete devastation' and warned the cognitive impairment defence could set a 'worrying precedent'.
On the court steps, Mr Hill read out the names of all 11 victims and said: 'I'm truly sorry for the part I played in their deaths and it's they I will remember for the rest of my life.' However, the widow of one victim has demanded a criminal probe into his lack of remorse, arguing that the apology came too late and was insufficient.
The crash occurred on 22 August 2015 when Mr Hill's Hawker Hunter jet exploded in a fireball on the A27 in Sussex. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch previously found the disaster was caused by pilot error. Lawyers for the bereaved families have called for a wider investigation, with attention now turning to the inquest into the tragedy.
