Human cannonball stuntman dies at show

A human cannonball daredevil stunt went horribly wrong just outside London yesterday as the stuntman plunged to his death.

The accident happened at the Scott May Daredevil Stunt Show at the County Showground in Detling, Kent at about 3.30pm on Monday, police said.

The 23-year-old man died after a safety net failed during the stunt.

Rob Hutchinson, 42, watched with his wife and two young children as the human cannonball came out to perform his stunt to close the first half of the show.

Mr Hutchinson, a driving instructor from Tenterden, Kent, said: "The net was already up. He climbed out on top, climbed down into the tube, they gave this countdown then he came out of the tube - he was probably 30 or 40ft in the air at least.

“He turned over and then, the last picture I've got of him, you can see the net is flat on the floor, not up in the air, and he is coming down head-first towards the ground. I saw him hit the floor and bounce."

A statement on the Scott May website states: "With our apologies, due to unforeseen circumstances all shows have been cancelled until further notice."