An Oxford University student died when he was flung 30 metres through the air by a catapult as a stunt, but instead of landing on a safety net he only clipped it before striking the ground, an inquest heard yesterday.

Kostydin Yankov, 19, a member of the Oxford Stunt Factory, had paid £40 to be launched from a trebuchet, a copy of a medieval siege weapon adapted to throw people rather than stone missiles.

…The machine was designed and built by David Aitkenhead and Richard Wicks in April 2000. Mr Wicks' partner, Stella Young, a human resources manager, told the inquest how she had broken her pelvis while being catapulted by a prototype of the trebuchet in May 2000. "I hit the net, bounced in and bounced out, breaking my pelvis in three places. I would tell jumpers what had happened to me and how lucky I was. It is a very, very dangerous thing to do," she said.