POLICE hunting the murderer of a Herefordshire skydiver are "delighted" with the public's response to seeing his dramatic final minutes on television.

Previously unseen video footage of Army cadet Stephen Hilder, shot in the minutes before he plunged to his death, was aired on Crimewatch UK last night.

The 20-year-old appeared pensive as he travelled by bus to his final jump at Hibaldstow Airfield, north Lincolnshire, on Friday, July 4.

The murder hunt was launched by Humberside police after it was found that the cord on his main parachute and the strapping on his reserve chute had been deliberately cut.

Det Supt Colin Andrews said last night's appeal had been positive.

"I'm delighted with the calls," he said. "I received a call from one lady who had some very useful information regarding a possible motive.

"That lady promised to ring back. She hasn't and I appeal to her to ring me because we do need to find a motive for Stephen's murder.

"She has information that supports other information we have regarding a possible motive, so we need to speak to her as a matter of urgency."

Other video footage broadcast on the BBC1 programme showed Mr Hilder giving a thumbs-up shortly before jumping from the plane.

The skydiver, of Stretton Sugwas, near Hereford, was also seen with two colleagues in free-fall formation, moments before he plunged 13,000 feet to his death.

It was the trio's last jump in a week-long competition.

On the night before his death, the officer cadet from the Royal Military College of Science at Shrivenham, near Swindon, had been pictured at a fancy dress party wearing a blonde wig and a strappy black dress.

My gut feeling is that Stephen was killed by someone he knew and someone who had a grudge against him, for whatever reason," said Det Supt Andrews.

"The murderer was at Hibaldstow, so we must speak to everyone who was there between June 30 and July 4.

"My appeal is to everyone who went there to contact police and let us judge whether the information is of help to the inquiry.

"Whoever did this carried out a wicked act knowing that Stephen couldn't defend himself.

"Many murderers confess their crimes to a third party," he told the television audience. "If that third party's watching now they must come forward."