THE death of Herefordshire skydiver Stephen Hilder remains a mystery as an open verdict was recorded at his inquest.

The 20-year-old fell to his death at Hibaldstow Airfield, North Lincolnshire, in July 2003 after both his main and reserve parachutes had been sabotaged.

Humberside Police launched a 10-month murder investigation, but concluded that the Army cadet had probably cut the straps himself.

Mr Hilder's family sat and listened quietly as the North Lincolnshire coroner Stewart Atkinson read out the open verdict.

He turned to the Hilder family and said: "I hope it will be some relief.

"I offer my sympathy and condolences. How you cope, I do not know.

"I hope you will be able to remember the way in which Stephen lived his life rather than the manner of his death."

Earlier, the coroner said Mr Hilder's death had been referred to as "unique and mysterious".

Mr Atkinson ruled out murder as Mr Hilder's cause of death. He said police had found no evidence that any third party had been involved in the sabotage of the skydiver's parachute.

Mr Hilder's two jump partners, Adrian Blair and David Mason, were both arrested and questioned over Mr Hilder's death. But both were released without charge and were no longer being treated as suspects.

The coroner added that he was unable to record a verdict of suicide because he could not be sure the skydiver intended to take his own life. Witnesses described him as being "jubilant" at the start of the jump.

Flanked by his wife Mary, Mr Hilder's father, Paul, said: "It's natural to want answers and to remove uncertainty. An open verdict does neither. The inquest has been thorough and probing.

"We still do not know why he died nearly two years ago.

"What has become clear to us over the last two years, and particularly in the last two weeks, is that the Stephen who died on July 4, 2003, was the same Steve that we knew and loved."