Parachute murder bid: Emile Cilliers jailed for life
An Army sergeant has been jailed for life for trying to murder his wife by sabotaging her parachute.
Victoria Cilliers, 41, survived a 4,000ft (1,220m) fall at Netheravon airfield, Wiltshire, in April 2015.
Emile Cilliers, 38, of the Royal Army Physical Training Corps, also tried to kill her by causing a gas leak at the family home.
At Winchester Crown Court, Cilliers was told he would have to serve a minimum of 18 years.
In sentencing, Mr Justice Sweeney told Cilliers he was "of quite exceptional callousness and a person who would stop at nothing to gratify your own desires".
He described the evidence as "overwhelming" and said Cilliers had three motives.
They were the money he thought he would receive in life insurance, the concern that his wife - a senior officer - could ruin his Army career, and because it would clear the way for a new life with another woman.
"You continued to pursue your selfish financial, emotional, and sexual desires," he said.
