Press Association
Saturday 11th February 2012
The partner of a hunt supporter who was killed by a gyrocopter's rotor blade spoke of her devastation after the aircraft's pilot was cleared of manslaughter.
Jurors at Birmingham Crown Court took seven-and-a-half hours to acquit anti-hunting enthusiast Bryan Griffiths of killing Trevor Morse by gross negligence.
A two-week trial heard that Mr Morse's head was cleaved "from top to bottom" by the rear rotor of the gyrocopter as he tried to stop it from taking off.
Mr Griffiths, 55, left court without comment after being found not guilty of killing Mr Morse, who died on March 9 last year at Long Marston airfield in Warwickshire.
But Mr Morse's partner, who said she was neither for or against hunting, expressed disappointment at the outcome of the trial.
In a short statement issued by Warwickshire Police, Caroline Morse, Mr Morse's partner of 23 years, said: "I am absolutely devastated by this result. It has been a long 12 months since Trevor's tragic death and we are still coming to terms with our loss. The family is very grateful for the support we have received from Warwickshire Police throughout this investigation and trial."
The fatal incident was captured on camera by a witness and jurors were shown an edited video of the confrontation.
The panel heard that Mr Morse, 48, was killed instantly when he refused to move out of the way as Mr Griffiths, who had been monitoring the Warwickshire Hunt from the air, drove towards him.
It was claimed in court that Mr Griffiths, of Wiltshire Close, Bedworth, Warwickshire, believed he had been shot at from the ground and feared a "gang" was on the way to attack him.
Speaking outside court after the case, a hunt monitor and friend of Mr Griffiths, Judy Gilbert, said she was delighted and relieved by the verdict.
