The family of a care worker who could have been saved following the Manchester Arena bombing has refused to accept an apology from the senior paramedic on the night of the attack.
The family of John Atkinson, 28, from Bury, Greater Manchester, said “mistake after mistake was made, and precious time was allowed to ebb away” and they wanted to “see what actions are taken to ensure this never happens again”.
His mother, Daryl, step-father Kevan, and sisters, Stacey and Laura, who were at the hearing at Manchester Magistrates’ Court, said Mr Atkinson was “badly let down”.
In a statement read by their lawyer Richard Scorer, they added: “We have so many questions that we hope the inquiry can help to answer. We lost our beloved John to an appalling atrocity while on a night out, an atrocity which could and should have been prevented by proper security.
“To compound this, John was badly let down by some from the emergency services. Mistake after mistake was made, and precious time was allowed to ebb away whilst John needed urgent hospital treatment.
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“This should never have been allowed to happen. John had so much to give.”
The inquiry heard that a parent called Ronald Blake, who was at the arena with his wife to pick up their daughter, used his wife’s belt as a makeshift tourniquet and stayed with Mr Atkinson for nearly an hour.
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Mr Atkinson was left in the City Room foyer where the bomb went off for 47 minutes before police helped Mr Blake carry him out on an advertising hoarding because paramedics had not arrived.
The police officers got stuck at the top of a set of stairs but a senior paramedic suggested they “blanket him up and leave him”.
Instead, the police officers found a crowd control barrier to carry him down on but when they got him to the Victoria Station concourse, which had been set up as a casualty clearing station, he was left there for 23 minutes.
He was still talking and begging “please don’t let me die” until suffering a heart attack as he was wheeled to an ambulance, an hour and 16 minutes after the blast.
Experts have said Mr Atkinson could have been saved with quicker medical help and on the third day of hearings into his treatment, Phillip Keogh, a senior paramedic, said there were not enough paramedics and that patients were left on the ground waiting for help.
Last week consultant paramedic Dan Smith, who ran the operation for the North West Ambulance Service, said he was “truly sorry if any decision I made impacted on his survivability” but added: “My view was that the system worked fairly well in terms of the movement of patients.”
But Mr Atkinson’s family said: “We cannot accept this apology. Actions speak louder than words, and we wait to see what actions are taken to ensure this never happens again.”
The family added: “We would like to thank those who tried to help John in his time of need.
“Ronald Blake in particular is a hero. Hearing about the kindness of strangers on the night has offered us a small glimmer of hope in our darkest moments.”
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‘There’s no justice’ – father of 8-year-old victim
Mr Atkinson worked as a carer throughout his career, including helping adults with autism, and looked forward to being a foster father with his partner, Michael, his family said.
“John was our son, brother, uncle, and friend. He was kind, intelligent, and would light up any room he walked into. Everyone who knew him loved being around him.”
The inquiry continues with expert evidence on Tuesday.
Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal has been heavily disrupted after a “suspected prohibited item” was discovered in luggage, leaving passengers in limbo.
Some passengers were reportedly left on planes that weren’t taking off, while others were stranded in the airport for hours after Gatwick made the announcement this morning.
Sussex Police said the explosive ordnance disposal team was being sent in “as a precaution” and a security cordon was put in place.
It now says the incident has been resolved and cleared – but warned there were still “some delays and cancellations”.
The airport, which is the UK’s second busiest, was set to see off some 316 departing flights today, according to aviation analytics website Cirium.
But what are the rights of passengers if their flights are delayed or cancelled?
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Your rights during delays
Your flight is covered by UK law if it departs from a UK airport, arrives at a UK airport on a UK or EU airline, or arrives at an EU airport on a UK airline.
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When it comes to significant delays, UK law says airlines must provide you with care and assistance.
Significant delays are classed as:
More than two hours for short-haul flights of under 1,500km (932 miles)
More than three hours for medium-haul flights of 1,500km-3,500km (932-2,175 miles)
More than four hours for long-haul flights of over 3,500km
Here’s what the law says the airline must provide you with until it is able to fly you to your destination:
A reasonable amount of food and drink
A means for you to communicate (often by refunding the cost of your calls)
Accommodation, if you are re-routed the next day
Transport to and from the accommodation (or your home, if you are able to return there)
It says this must be provided for you for however long delays last, irrespective of what has caused them.
Airlines may not always be able to arrange care and assistance for all passengers during major disruptions directly, but the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says you can organise the things listed for yourself and then claim the cost back from your airline later if you keep every receipt and do not spend more than is deemed reasonable.
In other words, don’t splash out on things like alcohol and luxury hotels during your wait and expect to claim your money back later.
What are your rights if your flight is cancelled?
If your flight is cancelled, the airline must either give you a refund or book you on an alternative flight.
You can get your money back for all parts of a ticket you haven’t used, the CAA says.
If you have booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, for example, you can get the full cost of the return ticket back from your airline.
“If you are a transfer passenger and you have already completed part of your journey, you are also entitled to a flight back to your original departure point when your connecting flight is cancelled and you decide not to continue your journey,” it adds.
If you still want to travel, your airline must find you an alternative flight – whether it is the next available one, or a flight at an alternative, later date.
If another airline is flying significantly sooner than yours is able to offer, you may have the right to be booked onto a rival airline’s flight, but this has to be negotiated with the company.
On last-minute cancellations, Naveen Dittakavi, founder and chief executive of Next Vacay, said: “If you’re already at the airport once the flight is cancelled, the best thing you can do is stay calm – you are protected against many things that might go wrong.
“Try calling the airline helpline rather than waiting to speak directly with the airport staff. The helpline is often more flexible and may provide you with an e-credit or voucher, or flexibility to change your travel dates quickly.”
Can you get compensation?
In some cases, airlines may have to provide compensation if your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late – but that is only if the delay is deemed to be your airline’s fault.
Disruptions caused by things deemed “extraordinary circumstances” are not eligible for compensation, according to the CAA.
Downing Street has indicated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be arrested if he arrived on British soil following an international arrest warrant being issued for him.
On Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defence secretary Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the war in Gaza.
The UK government was reluctant to commit to saying Netanyahu would be arrested if he came to the UK but Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said the government would “fulfil its legal obligations” in relation to the arrest warrant.
“The UK will always comply with its legal obligations as set out by domestic law, and indeed international law,” he said.
He added the domestic process linked to ICC arrest warrants has never been used to date by the UK because the country has never been visited by anyone wanted by the international court.
Earlier on Friday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said it “wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment” on the processes involved as the ICC is independent, although the UK is a member.
She told Sky News: “We’ve always respected the importance of international law, but in the majority of the cases that they pursue, they don’t become part of the British legal process.
“What I can say is that obviously, the UK government’s position remains that we believe the focus should be on getting a ceasefire in Gaza.”
However, Emily Thornberry, Labour chair of the foreign affairs committee in parliament, told Sky News: “If Netanyahu comes to Britain, our obligation under the Rome Convention would be to arrest him under the warrant from the ICC.
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“Not really a question of should, we are required to because we are members of the ICC.”
Ireland, France and Italy have signalled they would arrest Netanyahu if he came to their countries.
Asked if police would arrest the Israeli leader in Ireland, Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris said: “Yes, absolutely. We support international courts and we apply their warrants.”
Germany said it would make a decision if Netanyahu came to Germany but said it is one of the “biggest supporters of the ICC”, partly as a result of history.
A German government spokesman said: “At the same time, it is a consequence of German history that we share unique relations and a great responsibility with Israel.”
An ICC arrest warrant was also issued for Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al Masri, the mastermind behind the 7 October attacks in Israel, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Israel claims Al Masri was killed earlier this year but the ICC said that has not been confirmed, so it was issuing the arrest warrant.
Netanyahu’s office said the warrants against him and Gallant were “antisemitic” and said Israel “rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions”.
Neither Israel nor the US are members of the ICC. Israel has rejected the court’s jurisdiction and denies committing war crimes in Gaza.
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Why have arrest warrants been issued?
US President Joe Biden described the warrants against Israeli leaders as “outrageous”, adding: “Whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas.”
Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett said the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant were a “mark of shame” for the ICC.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the ICC’s decision sent a “terrible message”.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday he would invite Netanyahu to visit Hungary and he would guarantee the arrest warrant would “not be observed”.
The ICC originally said it was seeking arrest warrants for the three men in May for the alleged crimes and on Thursday announced that it had rejected challenges by Israel and issued warrants of arrest.
In its update, the ICC said it found “reasonable grounds to believe” that Netanyahu and Gallant “bear criminal responsibility” for alleged crimes.
These, the court said, include “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts”.
It is the first time a sitting leader of a major Western ally has been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by a global court of justice.
A large part of Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal has been evacuated after a “suspected prohibited item” was discovered in luggage and a bomb disposal team has been deployed, police said.
Sussex Police said the explosive ordnance disposal team was being sent in “as a precaution” and a security cordon is in place.
The airport, which is the UK’s second busiest, said the terminal was evacuated after a “security incident”.
In a post on X, it said: “Safety and security of our passengers and staff remains our top priority.
“We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
It said the North Terminal was still operating normally.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of travellers heading away from the terminal building.
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“Arrived at London Gatwick for routine connection. Got through customs to find out they’re evacuating the entire airport,” one passenger said.
“Even people through security are being taken outside. Trains shut down and 1,000s all over the streets and carparks waiting.”
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Another said passengers near the gates were being told to stay there and not go back to the departure lounge.
Gatwick Express said its trains were not calling at Gatwick Airport.
“Gatwick Airport will not be served until further notice,” it tweeted.
“This is due to the police and emergency services dealing with an incident at the airport.
“At present, the station and airport are being evacuated whilst the police are dealing with an incident. We would recommend delaying your journey until later this morning.”
It said local buses were also affected and would be unable to run to the airport.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.