Family Sues Man Who Claimed Manchester Bombing Victims Faked Injuries: Report

Richard D. Hall is being sued by a father and daughter left disabled in the 2017 suicide bombing

Undated file photos issued of the 22 victims of the terror attack during the Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena in May 2017. Greater Manchester Police/Handout via PA

A landmark legal action has been filed against a UK-based blogger by survivors of the Manchester Arena bomb, according to the BBC.

Richard D. Hall is being sued for defamation and harassment by a father and daughter who were both left disabled in the 2017 blast, the BBC has said.

Hall, who is based in Wales, accused Martin Hibbert and his 20-year-old daughter Eve of lying about their injuries.

Dubbed a “disaster troll” by some media outlets, Hall also claims the suicide bombing that took the lives of 22 people did not take place.

He made the allegations on his now defunct YouTube channel and his website, where he claims to expose “deep state fakes.”

The Hibbert family is seeking an injunction to restrain Hall from making similar allegations in future and damages for some of the harm they allege he has caused them.

It is the first time such action has been launched in the UK against such a blogger, according to the BBC.

Speaking about the lawsuit, Hibbert said he hopes it will set a UK precedent to help protect other people who survive disasters from conspiracy theories.

“It does sometimes feel like a bit of a weight, so it would be nice to be able to put it to bed and just be able to move on with our lives,” he told the BBC on Monday.

His solicitor Neil Hudgell told the broadcaster, “Martin can be seen as a pioneering trailblazer for others to follow if they feel so minded.”

The case echoes action against U.S.-based InfoWars host Alex Jones, who was ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion by an American court to families of the Sandy Hook school shooting after claiming the 2012 attack was a hoax.

Spied on Victims

It was revealed last October that the Hibberts were among numerous terror attack victims targeted by Hall.

A BBC Radio 4 podcast series and Panorama investigation showed footage of the Welsh man admitting to spying on Eve Hibbert from a vehicle parked outside her home.

Hall has also promoted theories online that several other UK terror attacks were staged.

At the time of the BBC investigation, Hall’s YouTube channel had over 80,000 subscribers.

It was closed down a short time later, and his market stall in Merthyr Tydfil shut down by the local council, according to the BBC.

In a lengthy statement published on Hall’s website at the time, he stated he did not believe the Manchester attack took place, stating there has been “no satisfactory evidence presented to the public which proves that the Manchester Arena incident was not staged.”

The statement added, “I have followed evidence, then published details of my research and findings.”

The Epoch Times contacted Hall for comment but received no response.

Hall’s books and DVDs featuring claims about terror attacks are still for sale on his website, along with videos about the Manchester Arena attack.

The site includes subsections and videos on “fabricated terror,” “state cover ups,” and “mind control and the media.”

In one video Hall hits out at being described as a “disaster troll,” accusing the mainstream media of coordinating “hit pieces” against him to undermine his integrity “and thus detract public attention away from the evidence in his book.”

CCTV image of Salman Abedi at Victoria Station making his way to the Manchester Arena, where he detonated his bomb, in Manchester, England, on May 22, 2017. Greater Manchester Police/Handout via PA

Inquiry

Last month, an independent inquiry found how the Manchester Arena suicide bombing may have been prevented if MI5 had not missed a “significant” opportunity.

Salman Abedi, 22, detonated a device on May 22, 2017 in the foyer of Manchester Arena, known as the City Room, a few minutes after the end of an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 people.

His younger brother Hashem was later extradited from Libya, convicted by a jury in London, and in August 2020 jailed for life with a minimum tariff of 55 years.

None of Abedi’s relatives cooperated with the public inquiry and his older brother, Ismail, was allowed to flee the country and is believed to be in Libya.

In a 207-page report (pdf) published on March 5, the chairman of the inquiry, Sir John Saunders, said two pieces of information about Abedi were assessed by MI5—also known as the security service—at the time to be unrelated to terrorism.

Saunders said that did not present an “accurate picture.”

One MI5 officer admitted they considered raising one of the pieces of intelligence as a national security concern but did not discuss it with colleagues immediately and did not write it up that day.

Following the findings, MI5 chief Ken McCallum publicly apologised for the failings.

“Having examined all the evidence, the chair of the inquiry has found that there was a realistic possibility that actionable intelligence could have been obtained which might have led to actions preventing the attack,” he told the media in Manchester.

“I deeply regret that such intelligence was not obtained.

“Gathering covert intelligence is difficult—but had we managed to seize the slim chance we had, those impacted might not have experienced such appalling loss and trauma. I am profoundly sorry that MI5 did not prevent the attack.”

Neither MI5 nor the Home Office would say whether anyone at the security service had faced disciplinary action.