Manchester Arena attack survivors, Martin Hibbert and his daughter Eve, have emerged victorious in their High Court harassment case against Richard Hall, a former television producer who controversially believes that the 2017 attack was staged. The father and daughter, who sustained life-changing injuries during the Ariana Grande concert bombing, sued Hall for harassment and data protection breaches stemming from his claims in videos and a book that the attack was not real.
The court heard that Martin Hibbert suffered a spinal cord injury, while Eve faced severe brain damage as a result of the attack that left 22 victims dead. Despite Hall’s defence that his actions were in the public interest as a journalist, Mrs Justice Steyn ruled in a 63-page judgment that the Hibberts had indeed been harassed by Hall’s reckless abuse of media freedom. She criticised Hall for repeatedly publishing false allegations and causing distress to vulnerable individuals.
Salman Abedi, the suicide bomber, killed 22 people and injured hundreds during the attack. The court highlighted that Hall’s claims persisted even after Hashem Abedi, the bomber’s brother, had been convicted. Mrs Justice Steyn emphasised that Hall’s publications not only lacked truth but also lacked balance and respect for the investigations and criminal trial surrounding the incident.
During the trial, it was revealed that Martin Hibbert suffered 22 wounds from shrapnel, while Eve sustained a catastrophic brain injury. The judge condemned Hall’s intrusive actions, including filming Eve outside her home, as an unwarranted intrusion on the family’s privacy. Martin Hibbert expressed satisfaction with the judgment, hoping for an injunction to prevent similar distressing incidents in the future and to advocate for legal changes in Eve’s name.
The data protection claim, damages, and injunction decisions have been postponed to a later date to be determined. The case sheds light on the challenges faced by survivors who continue to endure trauma and the importance of safeguarding vulnerable individuals from harassment and false allegations.