A former television producer and conspiracy theorist who claimed the 2017 attack in Manchester (northern England) never happened was ordered today to pay £45,000 (€54,000) in damages to two survivors who accused him of harassment.

Martin Hibbert and his daughter Eve, aged 14 at the time, were among hundreds of people who had gone to the Manchester Arena on 22 May 2017 to watch a concert by pop star Ariana Grande, when a British man, aged 22 , originally from Libya, Salman Abedi, had detonated an explosive device at the exit of the stadium.

Seven children and 15 adults were killed and around 100 people were injured in this suicide attack.

Richard Hall, a former television producer, had argued in several videos and a book that no bombs had exploded that night.

According to him, “elements within the State and ordinary citizens, among them the plaintiffs” had participated in the “fraud”.

Martin Hibbert, who is now partially paralyzed, and his daughter Eve, who suffered a brain injury, sued him for harassment and breach of data protection.

Having been found guilty on 23 October by a jury, Richard Hall was today ordered to pay £22,500 (€27,000) in compensation to each of the claimants.

He has also been served with a restraining order against the two victims in order to avoid any future harassment and will have to pay almost all of the court costs of around £260,000, according to information revealed at the hearing.

This ruling “sends a message to conspiracy theorists that they cannot ignore the evidence and harass innocent people,” Martin Hibbert said in a statement to reporters after the hearing.

For his part, Richard Hall denounced “an unequal trial” and repeated his claims about the attack in Manchester.