Manchester bomb response shameful, says victim's dad

The father of Saffie-Rose Roussos, the youngest victim of the Manchester Arena attack, has said that the response to the bombing was ‘shameful’ and ‘inadequate’.

Eight-year-old Saffie-Rose was among 22 people killed in the 2017 bombing. Her father Andrew Roussos told the inquiry into the blast he had never heard ‘so many excuses’ and that ’the response of the security services should go down in history as one of the worst failures from start to finish’.

The court has been told that there was a disagreement among medical experts about whether Saffie-Rose might have survived if her treatment had been different. Saffie reached Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, where a trauma team was waiting, 52 minutes after the bombing but was pronounced dead at 23:40, over an hour after the blast.

The inquiry heard how, after the explosion, Saffie had been showing signs of consciousness and was asking for her mother. Mrs Roussos said she wanted to thank ‘those that tried to help Saffie that night and were with her’.

But she went on to comment: “I also want to say to the professionals and MI5, this inquiry isn't about protecting your job, your reputation, or your uniform. We understand the sheer panic and fear you were faced with that night but until you admit the failings how can there be a positive change?"