Black Earth Rising cameraman Mark Milsome's inquest opens

Mark Milsome, 54, died after being hit by a Land Rover in Ghana in November 2017 while working on the Netflix and BBC drama Black Earth Rising.

His parents, Doug and Debbie Milsome, widow, Andra Milsome, and sister, Sarah Harrison, were present at the first day of the full inquest into his death.

Doug Milsome, an accomplished cinematographer who has worked with renowned director Stanley Kubrick and on Bond films, addressed West London Coroner's Court.

Mark Milsome

He said: "I have shot Bond movies and death-defying action sequences far more complex than the ones that killed my son.

"The standards of professional stunt crew and producers, those who make key decisions, should never have allowed Mark to die that night - a fact."

The inquest heard that Mark Milsome, from Builth Wells, was a self-employed cameraman, who was working at the time for production company Forgiving Earth Limited.

Outlining the circumstances of his death, Senior Coroner Chinyere Inyama said: "On Saturday 18 November 2017 there was a shoot.

"A stunt car, a Land Rover Defender, was supposed to mount a ramp and then topple over. The car mounted the ramp but took off and ploughed into Mr Milsome."

He suffered fatal injuries.

The cameraman was known for his work on big screen hits including Quantum Of Solace, Cliffhanger and The Constant Gardener.

Quantum of Solace

Dean Byfield, first assistant director on the production, said he was in charge of co-ordinating events on the set.

He said there were two unmanned cameras due to film the stunt as well as one which would be operated by Mr Milsome.

He told the inquest he had "no misgivings" ahead of the stunt.

Describing the incident, he said that, when the stunt took place, it ended up being "entirely" different from what they were expecting.

He added: "It was completely shocking and unexpected, to say the least."

Mr Byfield said there had not been an "entirely inclusive all-encompassing safety briefing" that night but that it would not have been standard for one to have taken place.

He accepted that, had there been one, people could have raised any concerns they had ahead of the stunt, but he added: "I cannot imagine any circumstance in which an individual would have been unhappy and been unable to voice that."

Details were heard about a risk assessment done by the stunt coordinator, completed three days before the November 18 incident.

Potential hazards referenced included burns from flames, tripping over a cable and poor visibility.

But the family's barrister Adrian Waterman QC said: "There is no reference at all to the risk of the vehicle going out of control and hitting someone."

Mr Byfield agreed, but said he did not think he had seen that risk assessment.

The inquest also heard that the stunt coordinator was changed after the original person became unavailable, the driver of the car was not well-known to the team and that the Land Rover's speedometer was broken although Mr Byfield said he did not know that ahead of the incident.

Mr Waterman said: "Looking back, do you think it would have been better had there been a safety briefing and these things emerged?"

Mr Byfield responded: "Had these things emerged, well that's hindsight, so I don't know."

The inquest is due to last until Friday.