Public inquiry starts today into Manchester Arena bomb attack which killed Sheffield woman

The 32-year-old, from Arbourthorne, was one of 22 victims of the May 2017 terror attack.

She was at the Arena with her sister and young niece for an Ariana Grande concert when suicide-bomber Salman Abedi, detonated a shrapnel-packed rucksack bomb he was carrying.

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Sir John Saunders, a retired High Court judge, will chair the Manchester Arena Inquiry, to investigate events before, during and after the attack.

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The names of the victims will be read out, followed by a minute’s silence, as the inquiry formally begins.

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Killer Abedi was known to the security services, and a senior MI5 officer, known only as witness J, is expected to give evidence to the inquiry.

The bomber’s brother, Hashem Abedi, now 23, was jailed for life last month and ordered to serve a minimum of 55 years before parole, for his part in the deadly bomb plot, which also left hundreds injured.

The inquiry is being held with unprecedented arrangements to ensure social distancing is observed by the families of the deceased, their lawyers and others representing public bodies, witnesses and the media.

The main hearings will take place in a room specially converted from two courtrooms within the Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court building in the centre of Manchester.

A small number of relatives of those killed are expected to attend the hearing room, with a conference centre nearby accommodating others, along with survivors of the attack.

Background evidence and pen portraits, where families of those murdered speak about their loved ones, will begin on Thursday.

The inquiry is divided into 17 chapters to cover topics including the victims, the background and radicalisation of Salman Abedi, the response of the emergency services on the night, the planning of the attack and whether what the security services and police knew about Salman Abedi could have prevented the attack.

The chairman will make a report and recommendations once all the evidence is heard.

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