Shoreham Airshow inquest to be held without a jury

An inquest into the deaths of 11 men in the Shoreham air crash will be held without a jury, a coroner has ruled.

Lawyers for the families had previously argued a jury was "vital" at the hearing.

At a pre-inquest review, senior coroner Penelope Schofield said the six-week inquest would be held in September.

Pilot Andrew Hill, whose vintage jet crashed on to the A27 in West Sussex during the Shoreham Airshow in 2015, was last year cleared of manslaughter.

He was attempting a loop manoeuvre when the Hawker Hunter aircraft he was flying plunged on to the dual carriageway on 22 August and exploded into a fireball.

Ms Schofield said she accepted the case raised "questions of great public importance".

She promised a "fearless and impartial" investigation and added: "As a coroner, I will be able to make very detailed and reasoned factual findings which will be made public.

"It is my decision that the public interest can be better served by myself sitting alone."