Date set for Shoreham Airshow crash inquest

West Sussex Coroner Penelope Schofield has planned for the inquest to take place for up to six weeks from September 14 at the Coroners Court, Centenary House, Crawley.

Eleven men were killed when a Hawker Hunter jet crashed during a display at the Shoreham Airshow on Saturday August 22, 2015, including ex University of Portsmouth student Jacob Henry Schilt, 23, and 26-year-old Richard Smith, who was a former Cosham bike shop worker.

Before the full inquest, there will be one further pre-inquest review, due to take place on June 24, which will be held to agree the list of required witnesses and finalise any other administrative matters.

At this hearing the coroner also ruled that she will not be sitting with a Jury.

Ms Schofield said: ‘I have taken into account all the views of the interested person but it is my view that there is not sufficient reason for departing from the presumption in schedule 1 para 11(3) Coroners in Justice Act 2009 in favour of me sitting alone without a Jury.

‘I do accept that this case raises questions on matter of great public importance. However, as a Coroner I will be able to make very detailed and reasoned factual findings, which will be announced publicly, it is my position that public interest can be better served by sitting alone.”’

The 11 men who died in the air crash were Maurice Rex Abrahams, 76 of Brighton, Dylan Archer, 42 of Brighton, Anthony David Brightwell, 53 of Hove, Matthew Grimstone, 23 of Brighton, Matthew Wesley Jones, 24 of Littlehampton, James Graham Mallinson, 72 of Newick, Daniele Gaetano Polito, 23 of Goring by Sea, Mark Alexander Reeves, 53 of Seaford, Jacob Henry Schilt, 23 of Brighton, Richard Jonathan Smith, 26 of Hove and Mark James Trussler, 54 of Worthing.