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| Soldier accused of trying to murder skydiver wife tells jury of huge debts | Soldier accused of trying to murder skydiver wife tells jury of huge debts |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| An army sergeant accused of trying to murder his wife by tampering with her parachute before a skydive has told a jury that he had been struggling to keep up with spiralling debts and had been living beyond his means. | An army sergeant accused of trying to murder his wife by tampering with her parachute before a skydive has told a jury that he had been struggling to keep up with spiralling debts and had been living beyond his means. |
| Emile Cilliers, of the Royal Army Physical Training Corps, is alleged to have had debts of £22,000 and could have received a £120,000 insurance payout if his wife, Victoria, died. | Emile Cilliers, of the Royal Army Physical Training Corps, is alleged to have had debts of £22,000 and could have received a £120,000 insurance payout if his wife, Victoria, died. |
| Taking to the witness box for the first time at Winchester crown court, Cilliers, 37, described how he concealed his debts from his wife because he was afraid she would leave him. | Taking to the witness box for the first time at Winchester crown court, Cilliers, 37, described how he concealed his debts from his wife because he was afraid she would leave him. |
| “I was embarrassed. I was afraid she would be disappointed in me. I was scared. I wanted to tell her but I was scared of the consequences,” he said. “I was living above my means, taking on loans to cover other loans.” | “I was embarrassed. I was afraid she would be disappointed in me. I was scared. I wanted to tell her but I was scared of the consequences,” he said. “I was living above my means, taking on loans to cover other loans.” |
| When Victoria, herself a former army captain, finally found out, she lent him money but later became so angry that she demanded he repay her £19,000 she claimed that he owed her and threatened to take legal action. | When Victoria, herself a former army captain, finally found out, she lent him money but later became so angry that she demanded he repay her £19,000 she claimed that he owed her and threatened to take legal action. |
| The court was told that the year before the alleged attempted murder, Cilliers changed his life insurance policy to include his wife. He claimed this was to make sure that if he had an accident while skiing with the army Victoria and their child would be financially secure. | The court was told that the year before the alleged attempted murder, Cilliers changed his life insurance policy to include his wife. He claimed this was to make sure that if he had an accident while skiing with the army Victoria and their child would be financially secure. |
| Cilliers is accused of deliberately removing vital components from a parachute rig, which led to Victoria, 42, an expert skydiver and instructor, plunging 1,200 metres (4,000ft) to the ground during her jump in Wiltshire. | Cilliers is accused of deliberately removing vital components from a parachute rig, which led to Victoria, 42, an expert skydiver and instructor, plunging 1,200 metres (4,000ft) to the ground during her jump in Wiltshire. |
| The jury heard that a week before the incident at the Army Parachute Association camp at Netheravon, Wiltshire, Cilliers allegedly tried to kill his wife by interfering with a gas pipe at their home, hoping to cause an explosion when she lit the stove. | The jury heard that a week before the incident at the Army Parachute Association camp at Netheravon, Wiltshire, Cilliers allegedly tried to kill his wife by interfering with a gas pipe at their home, hoping to cause an explosion when she lit the stove. |
| The court has been told that Cilliers was having an affair with a woman he had met via the dating app Tinder and had vowed to begin a new life with her. He also had a sexual relationship with his former wife, Carly Cilliers. | The court has been told that Cilliers was having an affair with a woman he had met via the dating app Tinder and had vowed to begin a new life with her. He also had a sexual relationship with his former wife, Carly Cilliers. |
| In the witness box Cilliers, who denies two counts of attempted murder, told the court that he was born in South Africa and his father was also a soldier. He worked for the family construction business before he came to the UK in 2000. By that time he was not married but had two children, he told the court. | In the witness box Cilliers, who denies two counts of attempted murder, told the court that he was born in South Africa and his father was also a soldier. He worked for the family construction business before he came to the UK in 2000. By that time he was not married but had two children, he told the court. |
| He worked on farms and in pubs in the UK before meeting his first wife, Carly, in Oxford. They married and had two children. One day Cilliers said he popped his head around the door of an army recruitment centre. “There and then I decided that was what I wanted to do,” he said. | He worked on farms and in pubs in the UK before meeting his first wife, Carly, in Oxford. They married and had two children. One day Cilliers said he popped his head around the door of an army recruitment centre. “There and then I decided that was what I wanted to do,” he said. |
| Cilliers was named best recruit in initial training, which meant he could choose where he would be posted next. He chose 29 Commando Regiment in Plymouth because that could have given him the chance to see frontline action and even join the SAS. | Cilliers was named best recruit in initial training, which meant he could choose where he would be posted next. He chose 29 Commando Regiment in Plymouth because that could have given him the chance to see frontline action and even join the SAS. |
| Instead he successfully completed a physical instructor’s training course. In January 2009 he suffered a serious knee injury while skiing with the army and while off his feet he said he realised his marriage was in trouble. The couple separated amicably, he told the court. | Instead he successfully completed a physical instructor’s training course. In January 2009 he suffered a serious knee injury while skiing with the army and while off his feet he said he realised his marriage was in trouble. The couple separated amicably, he told the court. |
| He was already in debt. “I tried to deal with it but it spiralled out of control a little bit. I was finding it hard to deal with it, I had serious issues as I was spending money on things I should not have spent it on,” he said. | He was already in debt. “I tried to deal with it but it spiralled out of control a little bit. I was finding it hard to deal with it, I had serious issues as I was spending money on things I should not have spent it on,” he said. |
| Victoria, a physiotherapist, helped his rehabilitation following the knee injury and they began seeing each other in March 2010. She taught him how to parachute and he took her rock-climbing. | Victoria, a physiotherapist, helped his rehabilitation following the knee injury and they began seeing each other in March 2010. She taught him how to parachute and he took her rock-climbing. |
| Cilliers also went on a course to learn how to pack parachutes and did this at Netheravon to save money for their wedding, which took place in 2011. | Cilliers also went on a course to learn how to pack parachutes and did this at Netheravon to save money for their wedding, which took place in 2011. |
| But he could not clear his debts. Cilliers said: “I was hiding from Victoria what financial strain I was in. I was living above my means and taking out loans to cover other loans. All my money would go on loans and by the end of the month I would take out another one to try and hide it.” | But he could not clear his debts. Cilliers said: “I was hiding from Victoria what financial strain I was in. I was living above my means and taking out loans to cover other loans. All my money would go on loans and by the end of the month I would take out another one to try and hide it.” |
| When Victoria came to know about his debts he said she would constantly bail him out and at one point he lied to her that the financial ombudsman was helping him. | When Victoria came to know about his debts he said she would constantly bail him out and at one point he lied to her that the financial ombudsman was helping him. |
| He said: “I kept blaming things when money went missing or did not appear, I never told her the truth about the debts I was in and where the money I got went. There came a point where she had enough and gave me an ultimatum – to buy some time I made up a lie. | He said: “I kept blaming things when money went missing or did not appear, I never told her the truth about the debts I was in and where the money I got went. There came a point where she had enough and gave me an ultimatum – to buy some time I made up a lie. |
| “I told her I had issues with money being transferred to my account and with financial advisers and that I was asking advice from the ombudsman.” | “I told her I had issues with money being transferred to my account and with financial advisers and that I was asking advice from the ombudsman.” |
| Cilliers was asked by his barrister, Elizabeth Marsh QC, if he had any idea about what kind of reserve parachute his wife had or its characteristics. He replied simply: “No.” | Cilliers was asked by his barrister, Elizabeth Marsh QC, if he had any idea about what kind of reserve parachute his wife had or its characteristics. He replied simply: “No.” |
| Explaining why he had taken out a new life insurance policy in 2014, Cilliers said he had been planning to take part in a skiing competition and worried that if he had another accident he would have to leave the army. “I would lose my career,” he said. “I needed to protect my family.” | Explaining why he had taken out a new life insurance policy in 2014, Cilliers said he had been planning to take part in a skiing competition and worried that if he had another accident he would have to leave the army. “I would lose my career,” he said. “I needed to protect my family.” |
| He will continue to give evidence on Monday. | He will continue to give evidence on Monday. |
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