Just one thought crossed Victoria Cilliers’ mind as she plunged 4,000ft through the air after her evil husband rigged her parachute and attempted to take her life
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Victoria Cilliers: Attempted murderer labelled ‘subtly sinister’ in documentary
A single thought plagued Victoria Cilliers’ mind as she plummeted 4,000ft to the ground.
The mum-of-two found herself at the centre of one of the UK’s most unusual and horrific crimes after her own husband, army sergeant Emile Cilliers, rigged her parachute in an attempt to cash in on a £120,000 life insurance package. Tonight, Channel 4’s new documentary, The Fall: Skydive Murder Plot, examines the real-life story.
On Easter Sunday 2015, experienced skydiver Victoria, 44, boarded an aircraft with parachuting equipment strapped to her back – not knowing her other half had removed crucial parts from the two chutes, known as slinks. As she prepared to leap, Victoria had absolutely no idea that she was likely to fall to her death – at speeds of 60mph.
When both the main and reserve parachutes failed to open, Victoria plunged helplessly through the air. It was Cillers’ second attempt on Victoria’s life in the space of just one week, with the greedy abuser having previously attempted to kill the mother of his two children by interfering with a gas valve at their family home.
And it was their young kids who flashed before Victoria’s eyes as she tumbled to her near death. She thought: “My children need me.” The qualified freefall instructor had 2,654 jumps to her name at the time of her horror fall, and nothing compared to that terrifying moment, when she hurtled towards the ground at breakneck speed.
Recalling the traumatic incident in the documentary, Victoria said: “As the ground loomed ever closer, I forced myself to push fear from my mind. I just have to fix this, I told myself, as I fought for my life. My children need me.” Victoria sustained a broken spine, a shattered pelvis and fractured ribs but, miraculously, lived to tell her tale.
In May 2018, a jury convicted Cilliers of two counts of attempted murder and one of endangering his kids’ lives. Jailing him for a minimum of 18 years, Mr Justice Sweeney said he was a “danger to the public”, adding: “This was wicked offending of extreme gravity. You have shown yourself to be a person of quite exceptional callousness who will stop at nothing to satisfy his own desires, material or otherwise.”
Last year ex-Army captain and physio Victoria told how Cilliers had denied her a divorce and had even tried to weasel his way back into her affections. Victoria, who has found a new partner, said of Cilliers: “I am still married to him. I still have his name. I feel shackled to him.”
Speaking about moving on earlier this week, Victoria confirmed she is in love with someone involved in the parachuting world. She admitted on Loose Women that the relationship happened “organically” and “it was a relief not to have to explain everything”, adding: “Why should my past dictate my future?”
- The Fall: Skydive Murder Plot airs on Channel 4 over three nights, starting tonight at 9pm.
