03 March 2023 , 14:36
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The parents of two teenage sweethearts killed in the Manchester Arena bombing say they have been left “completely numb” as they accuse ministers of backtracking on promises to them.
Liam Curry, 19, and Chloe Rutherford, 17, were among 22 innocent people who died in the attack at an Arianna Grande concert in May 2017.
Their families have been campaigning to change the law to give them the option of being involved in registering their deaths.
Current legislation prevents family members from registering the deaths of loved ones who are the focus of inquests or public inquiries and it has to be done by an official instead.
Caroline Curry and Lisa Rutherford said they feel like they have been “punched in the face” after ministers dropped plans to change the law.
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Caroline Curry (left) and Lisa Rutherford speak following the publication of the final report of the Manchester Arena attack inquiry on Thursday (ADAM VAUGHAN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Mrs Curry told the Mirror: “We feel led up the garden path. They have treated us with such disrespect, it is unforgivable.
“We feel that we have not been listened to. They basically just want us to go away and quietly find a corner to grieve in.”
The mothers from South Shields were told the government had decided not to change the law in a meeting in Parliament with Home Office minister Lord Murray and Justice minister Mike Freer last week.
Their local MP Emma Lewell-Buck, who attended with them, said Lord Murray was “patronising” as he led the meeting.
“He was very dismissive. It was like he was going into a meeting about planning or some other everyday issue,” she said.
Mrs Curry said: “He basically read from a script in his little file. At one point he said we will not have to pay for the death certificate. It was like he was waiting for a round of applause.
Labour MP Emma Lewell-Buck accused the ministers of being 'patronising' (DAILY MIRROR)“It is like we need to be grateful for that and then pop off back to South Shields and be quiet.”
The women had believed their campaign would be successful after Lord Murray and Mr Freer committed to “looking at options to change the law in the longer term” in a letter to Ms Lewell-Buck in January.
“While we understand that the Manchester Arena families will not benefit directly from this, we believe it would be a fitting legacy for their hard fought campaign,” they wrote.
Mrs Rutherford last night said she is “still numb” after being told the law will not be changed.
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“I feel absolutely drained,” she said. “They have totally and utterly devastated us again. Honestly it was like we have been punched in the face.”
She said that she had to leave the meeting with the ministers as she felt so upset. “I couldn't breathe. I physically couldn't breathe. It was horrific,” she added.
The parents of Chloe Rutherford and Liam Curry have been campaigning for the law to be changed“I cannot bear it when people think you’re thick. We are actually intelligent people and we have learnt a hell of a lot since we lost our kids because we have had to.”
Mrs Curry added: “When you give birth and you have that lovely baby book that you fill in with all the details, the hair colour, eye colour, height, weight.
“I’m not stupid, I know Liam is not coming back. But we have not been allowed to be grieving parents. We’ve had to go through one process after another.
“Until I have that piece of paper in my hand that says that that is the end and that Liam is definitely 100% not coming home, I cannot finish that book.”
A Government spokesman said: “Lord Murray and the government as a whole remain steadfast in our commitment to the families whose lives have been devastated by the senseless attack at Manchester Arena.
“Currently, after an inquest, all details must be provided by the coroner alone, any change to the law would need to consider its wider impact, including how it would affect those bereaved families who do not wish to provide information to register the death when they have already provided this to the inquest.
“We acknowledge the seriousness of this matter and are committed to seeing what can be done via non-legislative means, we have offered the bereaved families the option of being present at the registration of their loved one’s death if they wish to do so.”
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