Safety fears ahead of the Southport Airshow

The heartbroken families of 11 men who were killed in the Shoreham Airshow tragedy in 2015 are calling for increased safety measures at Southport airshow and other displays after the pilot who crashed his jet was cleared of manslaughter last week.

Andrew Hill, 54, was found not guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence at the Old Bailey after telling the courts that he had blacked out.

Following his acquittal, the families of the victims said they felt ‘let down by the justice sys- tem’.

They are now calling for a ‘thorough and frank’ investigation into safety measures at displays across the country, especially concerning stunts such as doing loops.

Sue and Phil Grimstone, whose son Matthew died in the crash, told reporters:

“Despite having compelling evidence from the cockpit footage and expert witnesses, it was not enough.”