Clare Barnes skydive firm faces charges

The skydive company linked to the death of Clare Barnes in a freak accident in Australia a month ago has been charged with more than 20 breaches of safety rules.

The charges are not related to the fatal accident, but follow a 30-month investigation by the country's Civil Aviation Authority into irregularities in the operation of Skydive City, at Barwon Heads, near Geelong,Victoria.

Clare, daughter of television newsreader Carol Barnes and Foreign Office minister Denis McShane, plunged to her death after her parachute tangled following a free-fall jump from 14,000 feet.

A formal inquest will not be held for

several months, until forensic investigators, police and aviation experts have completed a detailed investigation of the accident's complex chain of causes.

Safety inspectors are compiling witness statements and trying to track the history of the parachute rig Clare used in her last jump.

Within days of the tragedy, they found that while made in the USA the pack had been adapted with Frenchmade release fittings.

A conflict between the fittings is thought to have contributed to the way Clare's main parachute tangled around her body and sent her plummeting to the ground.

The bulk of the charges against Skydive City relate to dropping parachutists through cloud. One charge is of having unauthorised equipment on board an aircraft.

Owner Luke McWilliam, who will appear in court on 14 May 14, said he welcomed the chance to defend the way his business operated.