Advising families in the Manchester Arena Inquiry

More than four years later, on Thursday 17 June at 2 p.m., Sir John Saunders (Chair of the Manchester Arena Inquiry) is expected to publish Volume One of his report into the death of the 22 victims of the attack. This first volume will see the Chair publish recommendations on the arena complex and security arrangements. He has clarified that he has made recommendations that can feed into the public consultation on the Protect duty as it applies to venues similar to the arena. 

The Inquiry is currently in Chapter 10, which examines the emergency response on the night, in which a number of emergency services and other civilian responders attended. Chapter 10 witness evidence should conclude by July 2021, with experts who have examined the emergency response being called in September 2021. This will be followed by a Chapter that examines the specific circumstances of each victim, including what occurred pre- and post-explosion. The hearings are streamed to the Inquiry YouTube channel. 

Hogan Lovells is representing:

• The parents of Chloe Rutherford (17) and the mother of Liam Curry (19).
• The mother of Courtney Boyle (19).
• The daughters of Jane Tweddle (51).
• The husband of Michelle Kiss (45).
• The father and step-mother of Olivia Campbell-Hardy (15).

The Hogan Lovells core team working on this significant and important matter includes Scott Baxter, senior associate, Haylea Campbell, associate, Sarah McQuillan, associate, and Helen Boniface, senior associate.

As with the Coroner’s inquests into major terror attacks that we have previously acted on, the volume of evidence is extensive, with detailed examination of eye witnesses, emergency services and government bodies. We are pleased that our clients have been supported by public funding for this major and significant Public Inquiry. It is however a stark contrast to bereaved families in previous terrorism inquests who received no public funding, despite the clear similarities between the attacks and subsequent court proceedings. It is of utmost importance to ensure the issue of funding for Coroner’s inquests is properly addressed.