Gyrocopter involved in murder charge
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The above link on the court case has disappeared, here is the article.
- Doubts over gyrocopter charge
Court Reporter
28 May 2009
A MURDER charge facing a pilot accused of killing a hunt supporter with the tail propeller of his gyrocopter could be thrown out.
Lawyers for Bryan Griffiths, accused of killing hunt supporter Trevor Morse at Long Marston airfield in March, are to apply for the murder charge against him to be dismissed.
The charge follows an incident when 48-year-old Mr Morse, a hunt supporter from Alderminster, was struck by the rear propeller of the gyrocopter 54-year-old Griffiths, of Wiltshire Close, Bedworth, was piloting.
It had landed to refuel at the airfield after being used to monitor a hunt in the area.
Mr Morse, a self-employed gardener and a volunteer marshal for the Warwickshire Hunt, died ‘virtually immediately’ from severe head injuries after being struck by the tail propeller.
Griffiths’ case was listed at Warwick Crown Court for a plea and case management hearing – but at the request of his barrister the murder charge was not put to him.
Peter Lownds, defending, explained that there was to be 'an application to dismiss' the murder charge so the case was adjourned and Griffiths was granted conditional bail.
Mr Lownds asked Judge Richard Griffith-Jones to set a timetable for both the defence and prosecution to serve ‘skeleton arguments’ prior to a hearing at which the application to dismiss the charge will be made.
The Judge pointed out the murder case must be heard by a High Court judge, and it had been released to him only for the plea and case management hearing.
He ordered the defence should serve its argument by June 26, with the prosecution response to it by July 24, with a hearing on the application to dismiss the charges some time in October.
Judge Griffith-Jones said: "The issue will be whether there is a prima facie case of murder. The issue of manslaughter will be another matter altogether."
Mr Lownds confirmed there would still be a trial even if the defence application to dismiss the murder charge is successful.
The Judge said the court staff would be asked to find a slot for the trial to take place, possibly at Birmingham Crown Court in January next year.
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Latest news from the BBC
BBC NEWS | UK | England | Coventry/Warwickshire | Man denies killing hunt supporter
Man denies killing hunt supporter
A man has denied the manslaughter of a hunt supporter who was killed by the rotor blades of a gyrocopter.
Bryan Griffiths, 54, is alleged to have killed Trevor Morse unlawfully at Long Marston airfield, near Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, on 9 March.
Mr Griffiths, of Wiltshire Close, Bedworth, spoke only to enter his plea at Birmingham Crown Court.
He is expected to return to court for trial on 1 March next year at a venue to be fixed. Mr Morse, a committee member with the Warwickshire Hunt, was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident after suffering severe head injuries.
BBC NEWS | UK | England | Coventry/Warwickshire | Man denies killing hunt supporter
Man denies killing hunt supporter
A man has denied the manslaughter of a hunt supporter who was killed by the rotor blades of a gyrocopter.
Bryan Griffiths, 54, is alleged to have killed Trevor Morse unlawfully at Long Marston airfield, near Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, on 9 March.
Mr Griffiths, of Wiltshire Close, Bedworth, spoke only to enter his plea at Birmingham Crown Court.
He is expected to return to court for trial on 1 March next year at a venue to be fixed. Mr Morse, a committee member with the Warwickshire Hunt, was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident after suffering severe head injuries.
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Probably not a million miles out but it depends what the tail rotor RPM was i.e. whether it was running up or down.
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Whirls
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Whirls
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For once it sounds like the media may have got the terminology correct - it would normally be the propeller on the back of the aircraft that was turning. The overhead rotor would not normally be rotating during a taxi. The rpm driven by the Rotax would be anywhere between around 1,500 to 5000 +, depending upon where the throttle was set. Prop diam is around 1.73 m, so you can do the math if you want. 200 mph is a good way for a prosecuting brief to indicate the hazard, I suppose. The linear velocity close to the root is much less of course.
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Probably not a million miles out but it depends what the tail rotor RPM
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From the Daily Mail UK;
Gycrocopter blade 'cleaved head of hunt supporter from top to bottom' | Mail Online
Hunt supporter died after 'his head was struck by gyrocopter propeller blade during row with pilot'
A fox hunting supporter's head was cleaved from 'top to bottom' by the blades of a gyrocopter after he tried to confront the pilot for tracking his hunt, a court heard today.
Jurors watched in horror as a gruesome video showing the last seconds of Trevor Morse's life were played to a hushed courtroom.
Mr Morse, 48, was killed instantly after being hit by the rear propellers of the gyrocopter, being piloted by Bryan Griffiths, which were rotating at 200mph.
Birmingham Crown Court heard that Mr Morse had been trying to stop Griffiths from taking off again after he stopped to refuel.
Griffiths had been monitoring the hunt from his gyrocopter - a small open helicopter - and was confronted by Mr Morse and another hunt supporter.
Mr Morse refused to move out of the way as Griffiths went towards him and the rear propeller of the gyrocopter cut Mr Morse's head from top to bottom, the court heard.
Prosecutor Gareth Evans QC told the court: 'Just under a year ago, on March 9, 2009, a 48-year-old man called Trevor Morse, who was deliberately trying to stop a gyrocopter taking off, was killed.
'He was killed when his head was struck by the rear propeller blade of the gyrocopter.
'That gyrocopter was being driven by this defendant along the runway of Long Marston airfield in Warwickshire.
'The blade of the rear propeller cleaved Mr Morse's head from top to bottom.
'Mercifully, death was instantaneous.
'The prosecution say that this man, the defendant, is criminally liable for this death.
'We say that he is guilty of manslaughter, we say that he caused Trevor Morse's death by his own gross negligence.'
Mr Evans said Griffiths deliberately drove the gyrocopter at Mr Morse, with the rear propeller spinning at a speed approaching 200mph.
He said: 'Doing so, we say, was reckless in the extreme because the manoeuvre carried with it a very, very real risk that Mr Morse would come into contact with the revolving, unguarded rear propeller blades of the gyrocopter.'
The court heard Mr Morse was acting as a road monitor on March 3 last year during the last day of the hunting season for the Warwickshire Hunt.
Mr Evans said Griffiths owned the gyrocopter and although he was not an anti-hunt activist, had previously flown the machine above the hunt to monitor their actions, often with a passenger filming them.
On that day, when Mr Morse spotted the gyrocopter heading off towards Long Marston airfield to refuel, he got in a Land Rover with a fellow hunt supporter to confront the pilot.
When they were at the airfield, Mr Morse tried to stop Griffiths taking off by standing in front of the gyrocopter.
He refused to move out of the way, and as Griffiths drove forwards in the gyrocopter the rear propeller caught Mr Morse, cutting his head from top to bottom.
The jury was shown an edited video of the stand-off between Mr Morse and Griffiths - caught on camera by the pilot's passenger.
As he refuses to move out of the way, a voice can be heard to say to Mr Morse: 'You are obstructing him taking off, you have no right to do that, you have no right to do that.'
The video shows Mr Morse enlisting the help of the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to come and stand in the way of the gyrocopter.
The propellers can be heard to speed up, followed by a bang.
The video shown to the jury was cut at the point the propeller hit Mr Morse, then cut again to see him lying on the ground.
A voice can then be heard to say: 'Oh dear, the t*** didn't stand clear of it.'
Mr Evans said it was quite clear Griffiths wanted to leave, and also clear Mr Morse was not willing to let him leave.
He said: 'There is no doubt about it. His intention was stopping that gyrocopter from taking off.
'He was not standing there for the good of his health.
'At one stage he moved the Land Rover closer to the gyrocopter to stop it getting away in an attempt to block its getaway.
'He made it plain that he was obstructing that gyrocopter's take-off and when asked to get out of the way he refused to do so.'
Mr Evans said Griffiths had not gently inched towards Mr Morse, but had travelled at speed.
He said: 'This was not a general nudging movement. It was carried out, we say, at speed. This was no inching movement.'
The trial continues
Gycrocopter blade 'cleaved head of hunt supporter from top to bottom' | Mail Online
Hunt supporter died after 'his head was struck by gyrocopter propeller blade during row with pilot'
Gyrocopter: Bryan Griffiths leaves Birmingham Crown Court where he is accused of killing a hunt supporter
A fox hunting supporter's head was cleaved from 'top to bottom' by the blades of a gyrocopter after he tried to confront the pilot for tracking his hunt, a court heard today.
Jurors watched in horror as a gruesome video showing the last seconds of Trevor Morse's life were played to a hushed courtroom.
Mr Morse, 48, was killed instantly after being hit by the rear propellers of the gyrocopter, being piloted by Bryan Griffiths, which were rotating at 200mph.
Birmingham Crown Court heard that Mr Morse had been trying to stop Griffiths from taking off again after he stopped to refuel.
Griffiths had been monitoring the hunt from his gyrocopter - a small open helicopter - and was confronted by Mr Morse and another hunt supporter.
Mr Morse refused to move out of the way as Griffiths went towards him and the rear propeller of the gyrocopter cut Mr Morse's head from top to bottom, the court heard.
Prosecutor Gareth Evans QC told the court: 'Just under a year ago, on March 9, 2009, a 48-year-old man called Trevor Morse, who was deliberately trying to stop a gyrocopter taking off, was killed.
'He was killed when his head was struck by the rear propeller blade of the gyrocopter.
'That gyrocopter was being driven by this defendant along the runway of Long Marston airfield in Warwickshire.
'The blade of the rear propeller cleaved Mr Morse's head from top to bottom.
'Mercifully, death was instantaneous.
'The prosecution say that this man, the defendant, is criminally liable for this death.
'We say that he is guilty of manslaughter, we say that he caused Trevor Morse's death by his own gross negligence.'
Mr Evans said Griffiths deliberately drove the gyrocopter at Mr Morse, with the rear propeller spinning at a speed approaching 200mph.
Tragedy: The scene at Long Marston airfield near Stratford-Upon-Avon where a gyrocopter hit and killed keen hunt supporter Trevor Morse
He said: 'Doing so, we say, was reckless in the extreme because the manoeuvre carried with it a very, very real risk that Mr Morse would come into contact with the revolving, unguarded rear propeller blades of the gyrocopter.'
The court heard Mr Morse was acting as a road monitor on March 3 last year during the last day of the hunting season for the Warwickshire Hunt.
Mr Evans said Griffiths owned the gyrocopter and although he was not an anti-hunt activist, had previously flown the machine above the hunt to monitor their actions, often with a passenger filming them.
On that day, when Mr Morse spotted the gyrocopter heading off towards Long Marston airfield to refuel, he got in a Land Rover with a fellow hunt supporter to confront the pilot.
Hit:Trevor Morse died when the blade from a gyrocopter hit his head
When they were at the airfield, Mr Morse tried to stop Griffiths taking off by standing in front of the gyrocopter.
He refused to move out of the way, and as Griffiths drove forwards in the gyrocopter the rear propeller caught Mr Morse, cutting his head from top to bottom.
The jury was shown an edited video of the stand-off between Mr Morse and Griffiths - caught on camera by the pilot's passenger.
As he refuses to move out of the way, a voice can be heard to say to Mr Morse: 'You are obstructing him taking off, you have no right to do that, you have no right to do that.'
The video shows Mr Morse enlisting the help of the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to come and stand in the way of the gyrocopter.
The propellers can be heard to speed up, followed by a bang.
The video shown to the jury was cut at the point the propeller hit Mr Morse, then cut again to see him lying on the ground.
A voice can then be heard to say: 'Oh dear, the t*** didn't stand clear of it.'
Mr Evans said it was quite clear Griffiths wanted to leave, and also clear Mr Morse was not willing to let him leave.
He said: 'There is no doubt about it. His intention was stopping that gyrocopter from taking off.
'He was not standing there for the good of his health.
'At one stage he moved the Land Rover closer to the gyrocopter to stop it getting away in an attempt to block its getaway.
'He made it plain that he was obstructing that gyrocopter's take-off and when asked to get out of the way he refused to do so.'
Mr Evans said Griffiths had not gently inched towards Mr Morse, but had travelled at speed.
He said: 'This was not a general nudging movement. It was carried out, we say, at speed. This was no inching movement.'
The trial continues
Whirls
Gyro's dont have tail rotars just pusher props and as it was probably turning at 2000 rpm im sure brightspark could do the maths to work out the tip speed of the prop blades?
BG
Gyro's dont have tail rotars just pusher props and as it was probably turning at 2000 rpm im sure brightspark could do the maths to work out the tip speed of the prop blades?
BG
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Latest News
From The BBC ;
BBC News - Man denies killing hunt supporter with gyrocopter
Man denies killing hunt supporter
A man has denied killing a hunt supporter by flying a gyrocopter towards him at speed.
Bryan Griffiths, 54, of Bedworth, Warwickshire, pleaded not guilty to a new charge of the manslaughter of Trevor Morse by gross negligence.
Mr Morse, a committee member with the Warwickshire Hunt, died at Long Marston Airfield, Stratford-upon-Avon, on 9 March.
A jury has been sworn in for the trial which has been adjourned until Tuesday. Mr Griffiths, of Wiltshire Close, had previously been charged with manslaughter.
_______________________________________________________
From The Daily Record ;
Hunt supporter's head was chopped in two by gyrocopter rotor, court hears - The Daily Record
Hunt supporter's head was chopped in two by gyrocopter rotor, court hears
Mar 3 2010 By Rod Chaytor
A HUNT supporter had his head cut in half when he tried to stop a gyrocopter flown by an anti-hunting pilot from taking off, a court heard yesterday.
Trevor Morse died instantly when the rear propeller "cleaved his head from top to bottom".
Anti-hunting protester Bryan Griffiths, a qualified pilot, had been watching the Warwickshire Hunt near Long Marston airfield on March 9 last year.
Hunt supporters claimed that his swooping gyrocopter was upsetting livestock.
Hunt-follower Morse, 48, tried to prevent Griffiths taking off when the pilot allegedly taxied towards him at speed.
Jurors at Birmingham Crown Court gasped as they were shown video footage of the incident.
They heard commentary on the film - being shot by another member of the anti-hunting group - which said: "Oh dear, the t**t did not stand clear of it."
Gareth Evans QC said: "He deliberately flew the gyrocopter at Trevor Morse.
"Doing so is reckless in the extreme because the manoeuvre carried with it a very real risk that Mr Morse was going to come into contact with the revolving rear blade."
Griffiths, a plumber, later said in a police interview that he feared he could have been set upon by hunt supporters.
Griffiths, 55, from Bedworth, Warwickshire, denies manslaughter by gross negligence.
The trial continues.
_________________________________________
From Horse and Hound;
Pilot of hunting death gyrocopter in court for manslaughter - Equestrian news, equine news, horse news - Horse & Hound
Pilot of hunting death gyrocopter in court for manslaughter
Abigail Butcher, H&H head of news
1 March, 2010
Bryan Griffiths, the man accused of the manslaughter of hunt supporter Trevor Morse, appears court today.
Griffiths, of Bedworth, Warwickshire, will appear in Birmingham Crown Court in a case that is scheduled to last between two and three weeks but may be over much sooner.
Griffiths was initially accused of murdering Warwickshire hunt supporter Trevor Morse, but the charges were reduced to manslaughter at a hearing last October, at which Griffiths pleaded not guilty.
Mr Morse was hit by the propeller of Griffiths's gyrocopter at Long Marston Airfield in Warwickshire on 9 March 2009. He suffered severe head injuries and died at the scene.
Countryside Alliance spokesman Chloe Finch said witnesses for the prosecution will include Warwickshire master Antony Spencer and the female hunt supporter who was with Trevor when he was killed.
"We also expect both Peter Bunce of the POWA [Protect Our Wild Animals campaign] who filmed the whole incident and convicted animal rights extremist John Curtin, who was Griffiths' co-pilot, to appear as witnesses," she said.
A police spokesman told H&H: "We do not plan to release the video [of the incident] at this stage."
For regular updates on the case, visit www.horseandhound.co.uk.
BBC News - Man denies killing hunt supporter with gyrocopter
Man denies killing hunt supporter
A man has denied killing a hunt supporter by flying a gyrocopter towards him at speed.
Bryan Griffiths, 54, of Bedworth, Warwickshire, pleaded not guilty to a new charge of the manslaughter of Trevor Morse by gross negligence.
Mr Morse, a committee member with the Warwickshire Hunt, died at Long Marston Airfield, Stratford-upon-Avon, on 9 March.
A jury has been sworn in for the trial which has been adjourned until Tuesday. Mr Griffiths, of Wiltshire Close, had previously been charged with manslaughter.
_______________________________________________________
From The Daily Record ;
Hunt supporter's head was chopped in two by gyrocopter rotor, court hears - The Daily Record
Hunt supporter's head was chopped in two by gyrocopter rotor, court hears
Mar 3 2010 By Rod Chaytor
A HUNT supporter had his head cut in half when he tried to stop a gyrocopter flown by an anti-hunting pilot from taking off, a court heard yesterday.
Trevor Morse died instantly when the rear propeller "cleaved his head from top to bottom".
Anti-hunting protester Bryan Griffiths, a qualified pilot, had been watching the Warwickshire Hunt near Long Marston airfield on March 9 last year.
Hunt supporters claimed that his swooping gyrocopter was upsetting livestock.
Hunt-follower Morse, 48, tried to prevent Griffiths taking off when the pilot allegedly taxied towards him at speed.
Jurors at Birmingham Crown Court gasped as they were shown video footage of the incident.
They heard commentary on the film - being shot by another member of the anti-hunting group - which said: "Oh dear, the t**t did not stand clear of it."
Gareth Evans QC said: "He deliberately flew the gyrocopter at Trevor Morse.
"Doing so is reckless in the extreme because the manoeuvre carried with it a very real risk that Mr Morse was going to come into contact with the revolving rear blade."
Griffiths, a plumber, later said in a police interview that he feared he could have been set upon by hunt supporters.
Griffiths, 55, from Bedworth, Warwickshire, denies manslaughter by gross negligence.
The trial continues.
_________________________________________
From Horse and Hound;
Pilot of hunting death gyrocopter in court for manslaughter - Equestrian news, equine news, horse news - Horse & Hound
Pilot of hunting death gyrocopter in court for manslaughter
Abigail Butcher, H&H head of news
1 March, 2010
Bryan Griffiths, the man accused of the manslaughter of hunt supporter Trevor Morse, appears court today.
Griffiths, of Bedworth, Warwickshire, will appear in Birmingham Crown Court in a case that is scheduled to last between two and three weeks but may be over much sooner.
Griffiths was initially accused of murdering Warwickshire hunt supporter Trevor Morse, but the charges were reduced to manslaughter at a hearing last October, at which Griffiths pleaded not guilty.
Mr Morse was hit by the propeller of Griffiths's gyrocopter at Long Marston Airfield in Warwickshire on 9 March 2009. He suffered severe head injuries and died at the scene.
Countryside Alliance spokesman Chloe Finch said witnesses for the prosecution will include Warwickshire master Antony Spencer and the female hunt supporter who was with Trevor when he was killed.
"We also expect both Peter Bunce of the POWA [Protect Our Wild Animals campaign] who filmed the whole incident and convicted animal rights extremist John Curtin, who was Griffiths' co-pilot, to appear as witnesses," she said.
A police spokesman told H&H: "We do not plan to release the video [of the incident] at this stage."
For regular updates on the case, visit www.horseandhound.co.uk.
Last edited by coldair; 3rd Mar 2010 at 13:54.
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Slip of the brain .... alright ... fast, spinny thing at the back. Still think 200 mph wasn't far out! 
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Whirls
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Whirls
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I doubt it.
Interestingly, in this months GASIL (here), they talk about the accident stats for 2009, and this comment is made:
I am assuming that one is this incident!
Interestingly, in this months GASIL (here), they talk about the accident stats for 2009, and this comment is made:
and 2 (including one which is unlikely to be recorded as an aircraft accident) involving Gyroplanes).