Emile Cilliers: Army sergeant who tried to murder wife by sabotaging her parachute jailed for life

'This was wicked offending of extreme gravity,' says judge

Cilliers was convicted by a jury of two attempted murder charges and a third count of recklessly endangering life following a retrial at Winchester Crown Court (PA)

Former army sergeant Emile Cilliers has been jailed for a minimum of 18 years for attempting to murder his wife by tampering with her parachute and sabotaging a gas valve at their home.

Cilliers, who has since been sacked from the Royal Army Physical Training Corps, was convicted by a jury of two attempted murder charges and a third count of recklessly endangering life following a retrial at Winchester Crown Court.

Victoria Cilliers, a highly experienced parachuting instructor, suffered near-fatal injuries when both her main and reserve parachutes failed during a jump at the Army Parachute Association at Netheravon, Wiltshire, in 2015.

Sentencing Cilliers, Mr Justice Sweeney said: “This was wicked offending of extreme gravity.”

He added: “Your offending was extremely serious with your two attempts to murder your wife. They were planned and carried out in cold blood for your own selfish purposes which include financial gain.”

Describing the impact on Mrs Cilliers, the judge continued: “That your wife recovered at all was miraculous. She undoubtedly suffered severe physical harm and she must have suffered psychological harm in the terror of the fall and since.

“She appears to have recovered from the physical harm but not, having seen her in the witness box at length, from the psychological harm.”