Three Manchester victims of Sri Lanka bombings were unlawfully killed, coroner rules
They were among six British people killed in the country on 21st April
A hero Manchester firefighter and his wife were among six British nationals killed when bombs went off in their hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, an inquest heard.
IT director Lorraine Campbell, 55, and married couple William Harrop, a retired firefighter, and doctor Sally Bradley, died in a blast in the restaurant of the Cinnamon Grand Hotel on April 21st this year.
Anita Nicholson, 42, and her children Alexander Nicholson, 14, and 11-year-old Annabel Nicholson died instantly when an improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated in the second-floor restaurant of the Shangri-la Hotel in Colombo on the same morning.
Senior coroner for Essex Caroline-Beasley-Murray concluded that all six were unlawfully killed at inquest hearings in Chelmsford on Tuesday.
She said: "A series of explosions took place at six venues across Sri Lanka, killing over 266 people and wounding around 500.
"Amongst the deceased sadly were the six people whose inquests we will hear today.''
She said there was "no evidence that British nationals were specifically targeted'' and that a police investigation into the bombings is ongoing.
Detective chief inspector Brian Howie of the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command was led through evidence about the chain of events and each of the six deceased by barrister Samantha Leek QC.
He said that a number of bombers checked into hotels on April 20 this year, including the Shangri-La and the Cinnamon Grand.
IEDs were detonated at three churches and three hotels, he said, with hotels holding Easter breakfast events specifically targeted.
Ms Campbell, who was originally from Manchester but had relocated to Dubai, was on a business trip when an IED detonated in the restaurant area of the Cinammon Grand Hotel at 9.10am local time. She died of severe head injuries and penetrating trauma to the torso.
Her partner Neil Evans told the inquest he was speaking to her on Whatsapp on the day she died.
"There was a particular point when she stopped picking up the messages, as on Whatsapp the two ticks turn blue (when a message is seen),'' he said.
"I knew something was up and I saw on the BBC news something just happened at the hotel she was at.''
He added: "I've lost my best friend, my confidante, my soul mate.''
Mr Harrop and Ms Bradley had moved from Manchester to Australia and were on holiday when the blast ripped through the Cinammon Grand Hotel restaurant. He died from penetrating trauma from an explosive device and she died from penetrating trauma to the chest from an explosive device.
The inquest heard in a statement that Mr Harrop was a "wonderful father'' and Ms Bradley, who had worked as a director at several hospitals in Manchester before moving to Australia, "will be sorely missed''.
Coroner Ms Beasley-Murray told the families in court: "You've lost loved ones in these most appalling of circumstances. I would like to express sincere condolences to you upon your tragic loss.'