Red Arrows crash: 'Security issues' delay inquest

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Cpl Jonathan BaylissImage source, Royal Air Force
Image caption,

Cpl Jonathan Bayliss was described as having a "wide beaming smile and dry humour"

Security issues and a defence safety inquiry are set to delay an inquest into a Red Arrows engineer's death by more than a year.

Cpl Jonathan Bayliss, 41, died in March when the Hawk jet he was in crashed on the runway at RAF Valley on Anglesey.

Coroner Dewi Pritchard Jones said he could not give a date for the full hearing as he had not received anything from safety review.

The inquest was opened and adjourned in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, on Tuesday.

Image source, Charles Round
Image caption,

The Hawk jet he was in crashed on the runway at RAF Valley on Anglesey

Image source, Royal Air Force
Image caption,

Flight Lt David Stark suffered non-life threatening injuries in the crash

Mr Jones said the defence authorities "do their own inquiries and pass the result to the coroner".

He added: "I haven't had anything yet and past experience is that it's unlikely to be in the next 12 months.

"There will be security issues which will further delay the inquest."

The pilot of the aircraft was Flight Lt David Stark, who was treated in hospital for non-life threatening injuries after the crash on 20 March.

Cpl Bayliss, who was born in Dartford, Kent, joined the RAF in 2001 and became a member of the Red Arrows team in January 2016.

Following his death, colleague Sgt Will Allen described him as someone with "the ability to motivate and inspire a team and those around him - no matter the rank, role or person".

The Ministry of Defence said a year-long independent inquiry was launched following the incident, and it is still awaiting the final outcome of that review.