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. 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. 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.

Source: The Guardian November 03, 2017 18:33 UTC