Manchester Arena Inquiry: Officer 'did everything he could'

Police officers have described trying to resuscitate a teenage girl in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing, while her father watched on.

Megan Hurley, 15, from Liverpool, was among 22 people who died in the terror attack in May 2017.

One officer said he "didn't want to walk away" from the schoolgirl, the public inquiry into the bombing heard.

Manchester Magistrates' Court heard how Megan had "brought joy to her family from the day she was born".

Medical experts said she died from injuries that she could not have survived.

The Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: "I felt personally, there was something we could have done to change things.

"I was also aware that Megan's father was there and I wanted to show him that we were doing everything that we could for Megan."

The hearing was told that Megan, who loved the singer Ariane Grande, went to the concert at the arena with her older brother Bradley.

After the show, they walked into the arena foyer just 11 seconds before the bomb exploded.

The court was told Megan was a just few metres away from the bomber.

Bradley, who was seriously injured in the attack, had previously told the inquiry that he knew immediately his sister was dead.

Using his sister's phone, Bradley called his father Michael Hurley who managed to get into the foyer to be with Megan and Bradley.

The inquiry was told about 30 minutes after the bomb exploded, a police officer known only as F2 believed he had found a pulse on Megan.

He and another Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer, PC Owen Whittel, then carried out CPR on Megan for six minutes, using chest compressions, a defibrillator and an oxygen mask.

At one stage, senior arena first aider Ian Parry suggested the officers should stop CPR as he said there was nothing they could do for Megan. However, the police officers continued.

GMP Sgt Kam Hare, who was also in the foyer, told the inquiry: "I wanted to continue because Megan's dad was there, so it was only right that we tried and we kept on trying to save Megan."

Sgt Hare said he was "hoping for more improvement" in Megan's condition but insisted he never saw any signs of consciousness and her condition did not improve.

Shortly after, advanced paramedic Patrick Ennis told the officers there was nothing more they could do for Megan.

The hearing was told many of Megan's friends spoke of her "kind, caring and generous nature."

Megan's boyfriend Kieran said she was "one of a kind, someone who could make you happy in an instant no matter what mood you were in before just by showing her beautiful smile."

Inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders said Megan was clearly a "lovely person and everyone can understand why her father was so reluctant to let her go."

The inquiry continues.

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