Manchester Arena survivors awarded £45,000 after harassment claim against former TV producer Richard Hall
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Two Manchester attack survivors have been awarded £45,000 in damages after winning a harassment claim against a former TV producer who claimed the bombing was staged.
The ruling in favour of Martin Hibbert and his daughter Eve comes after they sued Richard Hall over claims he made in several videos and a book that the arena attack was an “elaborate hoax” by British government agencies
He accused the family of being “crisis actors” who were not at the concert and did not suffer their injuries there.
Mr Hall said filming Ms Hibbert outside her home was in the public interest as a journalist, adding that “millions of people have bought a lie” about the attack.
Salman Abedi killed 22 people and injured hundreds when he detonated a rucksack bomb at the Ariana Grande show in Manchester Arena on 22 May 2017.
The Hibberts were among those closest to Abedi when he detonated the bomb.
Mr Hibbert suffered multiple shrapnel wounds, leaving him paralysed from the waist down and suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Martin Hibbert was paralysed in the attack. Pic: PA
Ms Hibbert, then 14, was left with a “catastrophic” brain injury and needs full-time care. She also experiences PTSD and depression.
Speaking outside of court, Mr Hibbert said Hall’s “abhorrent behaviour had to be challenged for all of us”, and added: “I am pleased with the judgment, and the comments of the judge as to how unacceptable Hall’s behaviour was.
“It is a comprehensive victory for us. I want this case to open up the door for change, and for it to protect others from what we have been put through.”
High Court judge Mrs Justice Steyn said in a written ruling last month that Hall’s behaviour was “a negligent, indeed reckless, abuse of media freedom”.
Finding the Hibberts successful in their harassment claim, the judge added Hall’s actions were “oppressive, unacceptable, and of sufficient gravity to sustain criminal liability”.
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The judge then said there was “powerful evidence that Hall’s course of conduct caused Mr Hibbert to suffer alarm, distress and anxiety”.
“He has published his allegations widely, on a variety of platforms, over a period of years to viewers and readers in this jurisdiction likely numbering well over 100,000,” she added.
“He has done so for commercial gain, albeit I accept his evidence that the financial benefit to him has only been sufficient to enable him to continue his work.”
On Friday, the judge awarded the Hibberts damages of £22,500 each. Hall was also told to pay 90% of the Hibberts’ legal costs.
