Skydiver's pallbearers held

Two men quizzed over the murder of skydiver Stephen Hilder were pallbearers at his funeral, it emerged today.

David Mason and Adrian Blair, both 19 and described as close friends of Mr Hilder, were arrested yesterday.

The 20-year-old plunged 13,000ft to his death during a jump in July. His main and reserve parachutes had been sabotaged.

The men, who were questioned at separate police stations in Humberside, joined him on the jump and were fellow students at military college in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire.

They had, according to The Sun, been encouraged by Mr Hilder to take up skydiving and together formed a three-man team called Black Rain.

They made 50 formation jumps and always checked each other's gear. It was after leaping from the plane with five friends in the National College championship at Hibaldstow Airfield near Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, that Mr Hilder's parachute failed to open. Police found his equipment had been tampered with.

Mason, said to have checked Mr Hilder's kit before the jump, allegedly told police he had seen nothing wrong with it before take-off. He said he had spent two nights with Mr Hilder before his death - one at a fancy dress party the previous evening.

Two days after Mr Hilder was murdered both Mason and Blair returned to the skies, saying they wanted to honour their friend.

Blair appeared on Crimewatch and appealed for help in finding the killer, and they both appeared on Yorkshire Television last week after police made a fresh appeal for information.

Detectives refused to confirm the identity of the arrested men.