Devastated families of Shoreham air disaster victims weep and shake their heads

Families of the Shoreham air crash victims wept in court today as the pilot whose plane crashed killing 11 men was cleared of manslaughter.

A jury unanimously found Andrew Hill not guilty of 11 counts of gross negligence manslaughter after his 1950s Hawker Hunter jet exploded into a fireball on the A27 following a botched loop-the-loop attempt on August 22, 2015.

Relatives of those killed said they felt 'let down' and 'denied justice' after Mr Hill walked free from the Old Bailey today.

Sue and Phil Grimstone, whose son Matthew died in the crash, said they were 'devastated' and called for bans on future air shows.

Speaking outside court, Mr Hill read the names of each of those killed and said he was 'truly sorry' for the part he played in their deaths. He added that he would 'remember them for the rest of my life'. 

He miraculously survived the air crash after being thrown clear from the burning wreckage into brambles. 

The prosecution said the former RAF and British Airways pilot had been flying too low and slow as he attempted the disastrous stunt. They claimed he had, at times, a 'cavalier' attitude to safety and a history of taking risks, having played 'fast and loose' with the rules in the past. 

Married Hill, whose wife Ellie is also a pilot, impassively stared at the floor of the dock as the jury unanimously found him not guilty of the manslaughter of the 11 victims by gross negligence.  Families of the victims sobbed and shook their heads at the back of the court.  





MailOnline