Skydive soldier held for attempted murder after both wife’s parachutes failed

Experienced parachutist Victoria Cilliers, 39, suffered multiple injuries including broken ribs, collarbone, leg and spinal injuries after her two parachutes malfunctioned during a jump over the Easter weekend.

Though she was lucky to survive the ordeal, Victoria is now left with a long recovery process, and dealing with the idea her husband may have tried to kill her.

Detectives arrested her South African born husband Emile, 35, after they found his wife’s parachutes looked as if they had been sabotaged.

According to reports, vital parts of the parachute known as ‘slinks’ that connect the harness to the canopies were not present in either parachute.

The Mail on Sunday contacted Victoria for comment at her home, where she was found looking frail and on crutches.

She declined to comment on the matter, though a Facebook post revealed she is lost following her horrific ordeal.

‘Where do I go from here? I have no idea where to start. It is a hundred times harder as I am housebound and cannot care independently for my children due to my current injuries. I have had a lot of support from the police/medical chain/social work but I really need my friends too,’ she wrote.

Cilliers attempted to deploy her first parachute at about 3,000ft during her jump, but after this only partially opened, she was sent into a terrifying spin, known as ‘going down the plughole.’

She then tried to deploy her second parachute, which also failed to open.

Victoria used her skills and experience as a skydiver to slow her descent in the final hundred feet, and ensured she didn’t land on the tarmac road and in a field instead.

Detective Inspector Paul Franklin of Wiltshire police said: ‘This woman would have been dead if her chute hadn’t partially opened. This meant her descent was slowed enough for her to survive the fall.’

‘We were alerted to concerns over what had happened by the parachute club and as a result instigated an investigation.’

Two sources say Victoria’s husband signed out an Army parachute for his wife the day before the accident, though this has not been confirmed by the Army storekeeper.