Emiliano Sala: Businessman David Henderson jailed for 18 months over plane crash which led to footballer's death
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Updated 12/11/2021 at 13:18 GMT
Henderson was found guilty of endangering the safety of an aircraft last month, having admitted a lesser charge of trying to arrange a flight for a passenger without permission or authorisation. Sala’s plane crashed in the English Channel when he was flying from France to Cardiff, who he had just signed for. The striker’s body was recovered, but pilot David Ibbotsen has never been found.
David Henderson has been jailed for 18 months over the plane crash which killed Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotsen
Image credit: Getty Images
The businessman who organised the flight which led to the death of Emiliano Sala has been jailed for 18 months.
David Henderson, 67, was convicted of endangering the safety of an aircraft by a majority verdict last month, and he also pleaded guilty to trying to arrange a flight for a passenger without permission or authorisation.
Sala’s plane crashed in the English Channel in January 2019, after signing for Cardiff City. The forward, who was 28, was on his way to the UK from France, where he had been playing for Nantes.
The Argentinean's body was recovered after a private search, but the pilot, 59-year-old David Ibbotsen, has never been found.
A court had heard that after finding out about the crash, Henderson had asked people close to him to keep quiet, warning it could “open up a can of worms”. In one text, he said: “Ibbo has crashed the Malibu and killed himself and VIP! Bloody disaster. There will be an enquiry.”
In a statement, Henderson’s lawyers said: "Now that the case is concluded in the Crown Court, Mr Henderson wishes to formally pay his respects to the families of Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson.
"It is important to point out that the Civil Aviation Authority have always accepted that the way in which the flight was arranged and operated did not cause the aircraft to crash."
An inquiry into the crash will begin next year.
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