Richard Hall pictured outside the High Court in central London (Picture: PA)
A man who claims the Manchester Arena bombing was staged by government agencies has lost a court appeal.
Manchester Crown Court previously heard how Richard Hall’s claims were ‘absurd and fantastical’.
Hall is being sued for harassment, misuse of private information and data protection by Martin and Eve Hibbert, who attended the Ariana Grande concert at the arena on May 22 2017.
Mr Hibbert was left with a spinal cord injury and Miss Hibbert suffered with severe brain damage, following the attack by Salman Abedi, who detonated a bomb which killed 23 people and injured 1,017 others.
Hall is accused of visiting the homes and workplaces of those injured in the attack – including Miss Hibbert’s home – and recording footage.
Mr Hibbert and his daughter were successful in a bid for summary judgement last month – a legal step to decide parts of the case without a trial – on several parts of the case’s background.
It includes rulings on whether 22 people did die during the attack, and whether the Hibberts’ injuries were caused by the bombing.
Judge Richard Davison previously said: ‘Suffice it to say that, although his beliefs may be genuinely held, his theory that the Manchester bombing was an operation staged by government agencies in which no one was genuinely killed or injured is absurd and fantastical and it provides no basis to rebut the conviction.’
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Judge Davison said it was ‘fanciful’ to suggest Abedi did not die and ‘still more fanciful’ to argue the bomber was an intelligence asset.
Hall asked to challenge the judge’s decision today during a remote hearing.
He represented himself and said: ‘There seems to be a lack of knowledge within the judiciary about false flag terrorism.’
Hall also claimed ‘Nato countries’ carried out hoax events ‘to fool the public into thinking they are under attack’, and added: ‘It is very concerning that the judiciary does not seem to be aware of it.’
He said the Manchester Arena Bombing Inquiry is ‘corrupt’.
He continued: ‘It is the real bomb attack hypothesis that is implausible because the evidence does not point to it.’
The judge denied Hall permission to bring an appeal against his previous judgement.
He said: ‘Nothing that you have said amounts to, in my view, an argument that would have a real prospect of success in an appeal.’
Hall now has 21 days to file for a second appeal which would be considered by a different judge.
The full trial against Hall from the Hibberts will take place in July.
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