Inquest adjourned again on Manchester bomber

INQUEST proceedings into the death of Manchester Arena suicide bomber Salman Abedi have been adjourned again until October.

Fiona Borrill, acting senior coroner for Manchester City, cited a “live” police investigation still under way into the terror attack as one of the reasons a hearing could not yet go ahead yet.

Ms Borrill also said the Chief Coroner had decided that an experienced retired judge should deal with the inquests for the 22 people who died in the attack, as well as that of Abedi, but no-one has yet been appointed to the role.

Only the coroner, court staff and three members of the press were present at Manchester Coroner’s Court for yesterday’s hearing.

A further delay was resolved this week, the coroner said, with a change in the law – the Investigatory Powers Act so that the retired judge to be appointed can deal with “sensitive” evidence to do with national security issues.

Ms Borrill said the retired judge will be nominated by autumn of this year.

Earlier this month, at a pre-inquest hearing for the 22 victims, Elkan Abrahamson, a solicitor representing the family of eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos, the youngest victim, said families would be distressed by the delays, more than a year on from the bombing.

Ms Borrill adjourned proceedings for Salman Abedi’s inquest to October 19 for a further pre-inquest hearing.

The 22-year-old, from Manchester, whose family settled in the UK from Libya, detonated his device at the end of an Ariane Grande concert on May 22 last year.