Two victims of a bombing that claimed 22 lives at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in England seven years ago have been awarded £45,000 in damages after successfully pursuing legal action against a conspiracy theorist who alleged that the attack was a hoax.
Martin Hibbert was left paralyzed from the waist down, and his daughter Eve, who was 14 at the time, sustained a severe brain injury in the bombing at Manchester Arena in 2017.
They took Richard Hall – a self-proclaimed journalist who without any proof asserted that the attack was masterminded by British government agencies – to court for harassment.
Martin Hibbert is seen speaking to the media outside the London court
Their case shares some similarities with defamation lawsuits filed against US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones by families of victims from the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting.
After a further hearing, the judge awarded a total of £45,000 to Martin and Eve Hibbert.
Martin Hibbert addressed reporters, stating that the case “delivers a strong message to conspiracy theorists that they cannot dismiss substantial evidence and intimidate innocent individuals.”
He expressed that the case demonstrated the existing legal protections for survivors of mass casualty incidents but emphasized his desire for legislation to be enacted in his daughter’s name that would enhance access to justice for survivors.
Mr. Hall made a statement outside the courthouse, in which he claimed: “There was no bomb.”
