Martyn Hett: Last News

Figen Murray, the mother of Manchester Arena attack victim Martyn Hett, has called on big music venues to add a 50p tax to tickets to improve security.

Whether its smashing through glass ceilings, battling for the vote or setting the political agenda, Greater Manchester's women have achieved some remarkable things.

Draft legislation for 'Martyn's Law' will be published by the Government within months followed by the introduction of a Bill to the House of Commons, the Home Secretary has said.

Children affected by the Manchester Arena terrorist bombing are being urged to share their experiences of the support they have received since the atrocity.

The boyfriend of Martyn Hett who died in the Manchester Arena terror attack has posted a touching tribute for him on the fifth anniversary of the bombing. In a social media post addressed to his partner, who was 29 when he died, Russell Hayward has said “my heart will always have a permanent piece missing”.

The stepfather of Martyn Hett has said he was 'shocked' by the lack of timely mental health support after the Manchester Arena bombing. Dr Stuart Murray claimed people caught up in such atrocities aren't getting the help they need soon enough.

Coronation Street have been praised for an emotional scene that left fans in tears on Friday, where they paid tribute to the Manchester Arena victims. An emotional exchange between Gail Platt and Eileen Grimshaw saw the pair stand by a mosaic bench dedicated to those who lost their lives in the Manchester Arena bombing on 22 May 2017.

Coronation Street paid a moving tribute to the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing ahead of the fifth anniversary of the atrocity. During a scene on this evening's show, soap stalwarts Gail Platt and Eileen Grimshaw, played by actors Helen Worth and Sue Cleaver, laid flowers at a memorial bench previously installed at the ITV studio.

Twenty-two people died and hundreds were injured when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in the foyer at the venue at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on May 22, 2017.Martyn Hett, 29, was among those who died and his father Paul Hett has now said he “can’t understand” why the attacker Salman Abedi was not classed as a person of interest by the security services prior to the attack.Mr Hett told BBC Breakfast that when the bombing happened, “we thought that Martyn was just in the wrong place at the wrong time” and “extremely unlucky”.“Now we know that wasn’t the case,” he said. “The fact was that this could and should have been prevented and we just can’t get over that.”A public inquiry into the bombing has been exploring the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the bombing and is due to publish its findings later in the year.It has so far heard that on May 1 2017, Abedi had been assessed as meeting the threshold to be considered for further investigation by MI5 and was due to be considered for referral on May 31, 2017.A senior MI5 officer later conceded that it was a mistake not to question the bomber after he returned to the UK from Libya four days before the attack.Mr Hett said he “can’t understand” why Abedi was not a person of interest, because he had “at least eight” known terrorist contacts.“He also visited a convicted terrorist in prison on two occasions,” he said.

Families of the 22 who died in the Manchester Arena bombing have reacted with anger and dismay after a second act of vandalism at a memorial for their lost loved ones.

Tributes were paid to the 'unique and special' lives lost in the Manchester Arena bombing as evidence at the public inquiry into the atrocity drew to a close.

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direct to your inboxA senior Manchester Arena boss has issued a public apology to the mother of one of the 22 victims of the 2017 bombing atrocity.Two policing experts, meanwhile, have outlined to the public inquiry into the attack a series of criticisms they have found relating to security in place on the night.John Sharkey met with Figen Murray, Martyn Hett's mother, on December 8, 2017, seven months after the bombing.At the meeting, arranged by the mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, Mrs Murray wanted answers to questions relating to security within the City Room at the time, the inquiry heard.Suicide bomber Salman Abedi hid there on a mezzanine level for almost an hour in a CCTV black spot before he detonated a device he was

hereFigen said she missed his 'cackle of laughter' and the ability to 'make everyone feel he was their best friend'."I loved the fact he stood up for himself and who he believed he was," she added.Mr Murray told anecdotes about Martyn, describing how his relationship with his mother was 'really special'.He said Martyn could lose his house keys and once called from Nottingham at 2am with no money.He recalled 'drunken messages telling you he loved you'.Mr Murray said that when Martyn arrived in the house 'it was simply the Martyn show'.He would make a recording of his mother and post it on the internet, he said."Appearances on Come Dine with Me and Tattoo Fixers - and his status as a Coronation Street superfan and a Dierdre Barlow enthusiast

here"We hope everyone who sees it will enjoy our tribute to our amazing son," Mr Hett said.Clips of Martyn as a young boy were included - and his famous leg tattoo of Coronation Street character Deirdre Barlow was shown.Mr Hett said Martyn's life was 'vibrant and full of energy'.He said he was constantly dressing up and making up plays -  and had a passion and a love of acting.Mr Hett said Martyn told his family he was gay as a teenager - and the family simply told him they loved him unconditionally 'because he was Martyn'.After studying, he started to work as PR social media manager."He had the most wicked sense of humour," Mr Hett said."The one constant in all his social media videos was that everyone was having fun."Martyn lit up around

Social media star James Kavanagh has penned an emotional tribute to a friend who died in the Manchester bombing, three years on from the tragedy.