Haunting grief of wives and mothers left behind by terror
UNITED in grief and resolve, they came to court to honour their loved ones and demand justice.
Holding hands among tearful relatives gathered on the steps, the two women did not know each other before the Tunisia atrocity.
Suzanne Richards’s son, father and brother were all massacred. She accused holiday firm TUI of putting profits before security.
Standing next to her with a pink ribbon was Cheryl Stollery. Her husband John, 58, died from a shot to the head as he tried to flee.
Mr Stollery had survived the Troubles serving as a Paratrooper in Northern Ireland and was a member of the funeral cortège of Lord Mountbatten after he was assassinated by the IRA in 1979.
Yesterday his 56-year-old widow branded the Tunisian police cowards and called for travel agencies to be forced to reveal terror risks at the point of booking.
‘Disappointingly, I still believe questions have been left unanswered and responsibilities have not been accepted, so we are not
‘An attack like this was entirely predictable’
able to rest or move on,’ she said. ‘I wish to see all prospective holidaymakers being provided with mandatory security information.’
Mrs Stollery said nothing would ever be normal again for her and her son Matt, 23.
She added: ‘John could have done so much more especially with Matt and me, with our friends, with his life.
‘He was special to so many people and as a social worker was important to the many children and young people he worked with.’
Mrs Richards condemned TUI and the Tunisian authorities, saying: ‘Customer safety did not seem to be a priority.’
Also with her at court was her son Owen, 18, who narrowly survived the murderous rampage. His elder brother Joel, 19, uncle Adrian Evans, 49, and grandfather Charles Evans, 78, were mercilessly cut down.
The family, from the West Midlands, were enjoying the first day of a trip to celebrate Owen passing his GCSEs.
Mrs Richards said yesterday: ‘Within 12 hours of being on holiday, my eldest son, my dad and my brother were murdered and the only protection they had was each other.
‘Words will never explain the devastation of losing my family in such a horrific manner and every day is a colossal struggle without them. But my mother and I are blessed we still have Owen, which makes our lives worth living.’
Demanding lessons be learnt, she said: ‘I am convinced an attack of this nature was entirely predictable and there was a responsibility placed upon the Tunisian authorities and TUI to put structures and procedures in place to secure the safety of their customers.’
The inquest heard that Owen suffered a wound to his shoulder in the hail of bullets. He told British police that his brother Joel screamed ‘no’ three times before being blasted at close range.
Also among the victims were James McQuire, 66, and his wife Ann, 63, from Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire, and Billy and Lisa Graham, from Bankfoot, Perthshire.
The McQuires were on their first holiday after retiring. The inquest heard that Mrs McQuire was killed at the scene. Her husband of 43 years died later in the back of a poorly equipped ambulance on his way to hospital.
A member of the McQuire family told Heart FM they had all been ‘in shock for the past year and a half’, adding: ‘I don’t think we expected any more than what we got.’
The Grahams were celebrating Mrs Graham’s 50th birthday and the couple’s 31st anniversary.
Mr Graham, 51, who served for 22 years in the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, and his wife tried to escape from the gunfire by leaving the hotel lobby through a doorway next to the reception area.
They were hiding with other terrified guests in a corridor in the hotel’s first-floor back offices when Rezgui burst in and shot them at point blank range.
Nick Longman, the managing director of TUI UK, said outside court: ‘We are so very sorry for the pain and loss those affected have suffered.
‘On that day the world changed. As an industry we have adapted and we will need to continue to do so.
‘This terrorist incident has left its mark on all of us and its impact will always be remembered.’