The B.C. man who piloted a hang glider flight with a 27-year-old passenger who plummeted to her death is co-operating with police and has expressed "remorse" for the incident, his lawyer said Monday.
After spending one week in police custody during which time he allegedly swallowed a memory card containing potential evidence in the case, pilot William Orders was released on Monday.
Passenger Lenami Godinez-Avila died on April 28, as she was celebrating her second wedding anniversary near Chilliwack, B.C.
About 30 seconds into her flight, Godinez-Avila slipped from the glider's harness and fell 300 metres to her death. Her body was found about two hours later in a clearing.
A few days after the April 28 flight, police arrested Orders on a charge of obstructing justice, after he allegedly swallowed a memory card from a camera attached to the glider.
Orders, a 50-year-old from nearby Burnaby who is a certified hang gliding instructor, stayed in police custody voluntarily for a few extra days as the card passed through his digestive system.
And on Monday, lawyer Laird Cruickshank said that his client has been fully co-operative with police.
"He's disclosed to police the events surrounding the memory card and he's been co-operative with them since that time," said Cruickshank, who spoke to reporters outside court in Chilliwack.
Cruickshank also said that his client may express his regrets to family members of the deceased woman at some future time.
Police are now examining the card and seeing if there is video footage that may be useful in the case.
So far, investigators have not revealed whether the card is operational, said RCMP Const. Tracy Wolbeck.
Wolbeck refused to speculate on any further charges.
"We have to wait and see where the evidence leads us once we extract the data from the card," she said.
Orders has 16 years of experience flying hang gliders, and he has competed around the world in the sport, according to his website.
The site advertises that along with the adventure of flying, customers will also get a video of the flight.
Orders was released on $5,750 bail and ordered not to communicate with several people involved in the local hang gliding community.
As he left court on Monday, Orders disguised himself in a black hoodie. He then hopped into a waiting vehicle and left the court as media watched on.
"It's been obviously a traumatic incident for him and it's difficult to deal with, particularly when you've been in custody for the length of time he's been," Cruickshank said.
"Hopefully he'll be able to deal with things more effectively now being outside."
Orders is listed as a permanent Canadian resident, and he has handed in two passports, for New Zealand and the United Kingdom. He also turned in an emergency passport for Australia. All of the passports had expired, the lawyer said.
With reports from The Canadian Press
