Two survivors of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing have won a harassment lawsuit against a former TV producer, claiming it was a fabrication.
Two survivors of the deadly 2017 suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in northern England won a harassment lawsuit Wednesday against a former television producer who claims the attack was a hoax.
Martin Hibbert and his daughter Eve face harassment and data over Richard Hall's claims in several videos and books that the Manchester Arena attack that killed 22 people was staged. He was sued for violation of protection.
Ariana Grande's concert debunks 'hoax'
They suffered life-changing injuries in an attack by Islamic extremists in May 2017, along with about 100 others.
Martin Hibbert was paralyzed from the waist down and his daughter Eve, then 14, suffered a traumatic brain injury.
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Hall said his actions, including the shooting of Eve Hibbert outside her home, were in the public interest and that “millions of people bought the lie” about the attack.
London's High Court noted that he, described as an independent journalist and broadcaster, had alleged that “elements involving members of the public in the state, including the complainant” had been involved in the “deception”.
He claimed they acted as “crisis actors” and “no one was injured or killed,” the court said.
the judge rules in favor of the victim
In a 63-page judgment, Judge Karen Stein ruled that Mr Hall had harassed the Hibberts with “false stories” but chose not to judge the data protection claim at this stage. .
Mr. Stein said Mr. Hall had “abused the freedom of the press” to make a case for “sufficient commercial gain to keep his job.”
“For years, he has repeatedly published false claims based on the flimsiest of analytical techniques and ignored the clear and tragic reality to which so many ordinary people have testified,” the judge wrote.
“All of these acts have a natural tendency to cause serious distress, especially when the people targeted are vulnerable.”
She plans to invite lawyers from both sides to make “further submissions” before determining the appropriate “remedies” and data protection claims.
The suicide bombing was carried out by Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old man of Libyan descent from Manchester, as concertgoers were leaving a show at the Manchester Arena in northwest England.
Inspired by the Islamic State group, he used homemade shrapnel bombs to attack a crowd of mostly young people attending an American pop star's concert, as well as parents who had come to pick up their children. targeted.
Posted by: Agence France-Presse
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