Tragic trapeze artist planned to quit

THE young Russian acrobat who plunged to his death in a circus fall at Scariff, Co Clare, on Monday night had planned to take a year off because he and his wife planned to have a baby.

She partnered him in the performance and was injured. The dead man, Vitaly Kharapavitski, 26, had informed the owners of the circus that they would not be available next year as they were returning home to Russia.

Tom Courtney, who runs the Royal Russian Circus with his son, Wayne, said: “He told me he and his wife had decided to take a year out and return home to start a family. They were such a lovely couple and they very much wanted to have children.