Post by andypspotter on Mar 21, 2018 20:47:11 GMT
The pilot of a vintage jet which crashed on to a dual carriageway during the Shoreham Airshow, killing 11 men, is to be charged with manslaughter.
Andy Hill was performing aerobatics when the Hawker Hunter jet crashed on to the A27 in Sussex on 22 August 2015.
Families of those who died have waited nearly three years to learn whether charges would be brought, an MP said.
Mr Hill, who is 54 on Thursday, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on 19 April.
He is to face 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence and one of endangering an aircraft, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
Mr Hill was questioned for the first time by police in December 2015 under caution, but was not arrested. He had voluntarily attended an interview.
'Families in limbo'
Families met with prosecutors at Sussex Police headquarters in Lewes earlier to discuss the decision.
Simon Ringrose, from the CPS special crime division, said he had found there was sufficient evidence to charge Mr Hill after a "careful review" of the case.
Tim Loughton, MP for Worthing East and Shoreham, welcomed the announcement, but criticised the delay in bringing charges.
"Frankly those families have been in limbo for far too long and this should have happened a long time ago," he said.
Mr Hill, a trained Royal Air Force instructor and fast jet pilot, was seriously injured in the crash, which saw him thrown clear of the aircraft.
He was placed into an induced coma before being discharged from hospital.
Coroner Penelope Schofield had said she was working towards holding a full inquest in the autumn, but the proceedings will be postponed until criminal proceedings have concluded.
The Shoreham Airshow has been cancelled ever since the disaster, out of respect for the families of the men who died.
Andy Hill was performing aerobatics when the Hawker Hunter jet crashed on to the A27 in Sussex on 22 August 2015.
Families of those who died have waited nearly three years to learn whether charges would be brought, an MP said.
Mr Hill, who is 54 on Thursday, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on 19 April.
He is to face 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence and one of endangering an aircraft, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
Mr Hill was questioned for the first time by police in December 2015 under caution, but was not arrested. He had voluntarily attended an interview.
'Families in limbo'
Families met with prosecutors at Sussex Police headquarters in Lewes earlier to discuss the decision.
Simon Ringrose, from the CPS special crime division, said he had found there was sufficient evidence to charge Mr Hill after a "careful review" of the case.
Tim Loughton, MP for Worthing East and Shoreham, welcomed the announcement, but criticised the delay in bringing charges.
"Frankly those families have been in limbo for far too long and this should have happened a long time ago," he said.
Mr Hill, a trained Royal Air Force instructor and fast jet pilot, was seriously injured in the crash, which saw him thrown clear of the aircraft.
He was placed into an induced coma before being discharged from hospital.
Coroner Penelope Schofield had said she was working towards holding a full inquest in the autumn, but the proceedings will be postponed until criminal proceedings have concluded.
The Shoreham Airshow has been cancelled ever since the disaster, out of respect for the families of the men who died.
