Jury retires in inquest into deaths of five people in Leicester helicopter crash
Jury retires in inquest into deaths of five people in Leicester helicopter crash
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A jury has retired to begin its deliberations in the inquests into the deaths of the former Leicester City owner and four others who were killed in a helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium more than six years ago. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, referred to in court as Khun Vichai, died when the aircraft crashed and caught on fire, also killing the pilot Eric Swaffer, his partner Izabela Lechowicz, and passengers Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare.
The Leonardo AW169 helicopter “aggressively” spun out of control from a height of 430ft and became “engulfed” in flames while taking off from the pitch after a match in Leicester on October 27 2018. Senior coroner Catherine Mason addressed the jury at Leicester City Hall on Monday before sending them out to deliberate.
She instructed them to return the conclusion that the helicopter crash was accidental. Ms Mason said: “The helicopter crash which we have been considering was a terrible tragedy that cost the lives of five people. “As the pen portraits at the start of the hearing vividly illustrated, they were remarkable individuals.
“The time has come now for you, the jury, to reach conclusions for the public record. “An inquest is not a criminal trial, it is not a process for apportioning blame. It is important to remember that the inquest is simply an attempt to establish the facts.”.
