'I'm a Boltonian and the way I've been brought up, you face a bully straight on - and that's what I've done'

Manchester Arena bomb survivor Martin Hibbert said today he'd taken on a bully and won after he was awarded damages together with his daughter following harassment by a conspiracy theorist.

Mr Hibbert, who was left paralysed with a spinal cord injury, said he wanted the High Court case against Richard D Hall to 'open the door for change to protect others'. And he said their victory 'sends out a message to conspiracy theorists that you cannot ignore all acceptable evidence and harass innocent people'.

His legal team, meanwhile, said the 'hugely important case' had 'set a precedent which will hopefully see more people who engage in this sort of behaviour challenged'.

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The Manchester Evening News reported last month they won the harassment case against Hall, a self-styled journalist and former TV producer who believes the 2017 bombing, in which 22 people died, was a hoax.

A judge said in a ruling that Hall's 'oppressive and unacceptable' conduct in harassing them as they battled to recover was 'a negligent, indeed reckless, abuse of media freedom'. Hall, added the judge, published 'false allegations based on the flimsiest of analytical techniques' about the atrocity in a book, in videos and in a film in what she said was done for 'commercial gain'.

Hall, heard the High Court, claimed the Arena attack was 'carefully planned by elements within the state' involving ordinary citizens - including the Hibberts - 'in the deception as crisis actors'.

But at a hearing on Friday, Mrs Justice Steyn said Mr Hibbert and his daughter would each be awarded £22,500 in damages.

Mr Hall was also told to pay 90 per cent of the Hibberts’ legal costs. The final figure may be determined by a specialist judge if an agreement is not reached, but the court heard their total is currently estimated at £260,000.

'His abhorrent behaviour had to be challenged'

In a statement afterwards, Mr Hibbert, from Bolton, said Hall's actions were 'oppressive and unacceptable' and the case was 'a comprehensive victory for us'. Hall, he added, 'abused media freedom' and 'repeatedly published false allegations and dismissed the tragic reality which so many ordinary people have experienced and continue to live with'.

"His abhorrent behaviour had to be challenged, not just for me and my family but for others too," said Mr Hibbert.

"I want this to case to open the door for change, and for it to protect others from what we have been put through. The case has highlighted and proved that there is protection within the law, and it sends out a message to conspiracy theorists that you cannot ignore all acceptable evidence and harass innocent people."

Speaking to reporters outside court, he said he was confident Hall would stick to the terms of an injunction.

He said: "When I go to war, I make sure that I've got the best of everything. We've got the best legal team available, and anything that he does wrong will be on it straight away. He might have very weird opinions, but he's an intelligent man, so he knows not to go against this place, because he'll be in contempt of court and he'll be in prison."

Asked about the trauma and pain Hall had put them through, Mr Hibbert said it was the 'side people don't see'. He said: "People don't see that because you don't put that on social media, so to have to deal with that and just live a normal life is hard, but I'm a Boltonian and the way I've been brought up, you face a bully straight on and that's what I've done today."

Solicitor Kerry Gillespie, who represented them, said outside court: "This has been a hugely important case, firstly for Martin and Eve, but also for the hundreds of others whose lives were forever changed by the events of that day in Manchester in 2017. It is also important in the wider context of sending a very clear message to people who think they have the right to publish harmful, unfounded allegations against others, especially those who have already suffered from tragedy.

"Many feel they can do this unchallenged, hiding behind the façade of challenging the official narrative. When that behaviour becomes harassment, we must step in on behalf of our clients.

"Due to this case, led by Martin and supported by the team at Hudgell Solicitors, that landscape has been changed. Martin and Eve have set a precedent which will hopefully see more people who engage in this sort of behaviour challenged. I am proud to have supported them on this journey."

Hall, speaking outside court, said the proceedings were “not a fair trial” and repeated his claim that no bomb exploded during the Manchester Arena attack. He said: “There aren’t many citizens, if any, who have researched and investigated the Manchester Arena incident more than I have. In my years of investigation I did not find any evidence to show that a real bomb was used.”

He continued: “This court has refused consistently and repeatedly to examine fully any primary evidence from the Manchester incident which I put forward in my defence. It has also refused my applications to obtain further evidence which we know exists and would be easy for a court to obtain. I contend therefore that this was not a fair trial.”

Asked if he would like to apologise to the victims of the attack, Mr Hall left the area outside of the Royal Courts of Justice.