kevin922 0 #1 July 9, 2004 July 06, 2004 THE owner of a Victorian parachute club where British skydiver Clare Barnes plummeted to her death was placed on a 12 month bond today after pleading guilty to 21 safety breaches. Luke McWilliam, owner of Skydive City Club at Barwon Heads in Victoria's south-west, also was ordered to donate $10,000 to a local hospital. The safety breaches were not related to the death of club member Ms Barnes, 24, who was the daughter of British Minister for Europe Denis MacShane and journalist Carol Barnes. Mr McWilliam pleaded guilty today to the breaches during a hearing at Geelong's Magistrates Court, despite previously denying all allegations. Mr McWilliam, 36, of Barwon Heads Road, Connewarre, had changed his plea to avoid a costly and lengthy trial, his lawyer John Maitland said after the hearing. The court was told that, in a raid on the club Civil Aviation Safety Authority, investigators had seized 20 videos which showed skydivers jumping through cloud on 20 occasions dating back to May, 2003. The other charge, in relation to the modification of an aircraft, arose when investigators saw on the videos that a toilet roll holder had been attached to the outside of a plane with gaffer tape. Mr Maitland told the court the toilet roll holder was used as a marker for skydivers to see whether it was in the right position before a proper handle was fitted to the aircraft. "This matter is definitely a one-off," Mr Maitland told the court. Over the past seven years, more than 20,000 jumps had been made safely at the club, which employed 25 people and was one of the biggest in the country. There had been only one fatal accident at the site, the court was told. The death of Ms Barnes in a jumping mishap in March was not related to Mr McWilliam or the club, the court was told. Magistrate Terry Wilson put the married father of two on a 12 month, $5000 bond, ordering him to pay $600 costs and to make a $10,000 donation to Geelong Hospital with no tax deductions. No conviction was recorded, but Mr Wilson warned Mr McWilliam he had an obligation to ensure the safety of skydivers at his club. He said if Mr McWilliam appeared before the court on similar charges in the next 12 months, he would be ordered to pay $5000 as part of his bond order. "Provisions do exist in respect to people jumping through cloud," he said. "Now you've come under notice you must be especially careful you don't breach that requirement. The obligation is there for safety. "Your obligation is to ensure the safety of students is paramount." After the hearing, Mr Maitland said going to trial would have cost more than the fines imposed if found guilty of the safety breaches. He said his client decided to dispose of all the matters today in a bid to avoid a lengthy and costly trial. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
