Manchester Arena terrorist attack survivors submit legal action against conspiracy theorist
Two survivors of the 2017 terror attack at the Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena are suing a conspiracy theorist for defamation and harassment. Martin and Eve Hibbert, a father and daughter who suffered disabilities from the incident, are now taking legal action against Richard D Hall.
Hall, a British conspiracy theorist who produces his own “news” programme entitled RichPlanet TV, has previously claimed that the Manchester Arena bombing was faked. The attack resulted in the deaths of 22 individuals, and hundreds were injured when suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated a bomb in the entrance area of the Machester Arena at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on May 22nd, 2017.
On Monday, the Hibberts’ lawyers said: “We can confirm that proceedings were issued in the high court on Friday on behalf of Martin and his daughter Eve. Those proceedings are for protection from harassment and misuse of private information and include an application for a restraining injunction and damages. Mr Richard Hall will shortly be served with papers and will then have an opportunity to formally respond.”
Hall previously admitted to BBC News that he had spied on Eve from his vehicle parked outside her home. He also reportedly stalked victims of the attack in an attempt to find out if they were lying about their injuries.
According to the Guardian, the Hibbert family sought a restraining injunction and damages on March 31st after Hall promoted the theory that the attack never happened and reportedly admitted to spying on the victims. “Martin is very determined to shut this individual down from harassing his family, and for peddling his outrageous slurs, lies and repugnant views that have caused continuing offence and distress,” they said.
Both Martin and Eve were confined to wheelchairs as a result of the injuries they sustained in the attack. Martin suffered 22 shrapnel wounds and was paralysed from the waist down.
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