Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi received £350,000 in legal aid – despite refusing to turn up to court
MANCHESTER Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi received £350,000 in legal aid — despite refusing to take part in the court process.
Abedi, whose brother Salman carried out the suicide attack which killed 22 people, got £135,407 for one set of solicitors who he sacked, £52,259 for another firm and £162,056 for barristers.
Yet three times he halted proceedings by refusing to turn up, claiming he was “stressed” and “tired”.
He then refused to attend at all and instructed lawyers not to make any representations or speeches.
Charlotte Campbell, 40, whose 15-year-old daughter Olivia was killed, said: “He robbed us of our day in court. He took away everything from us and all we wanted was to see his face as he was found guilty.
“But he wasn’t there. He’s wasted all of that money for no reason.”
Injured Jade Clough, 32, said: “It’s just ridiculous.
“He’s been handed this help on a silver platter and he threw it in our faces.”
Defendants in crown court trials automatically get legal aid.
Abedi’s was revealed in figures obtained by The Sun on Sunday under freedom of Information rules.
In contrast, victims’ families had to apply for legal aid for an inquest, submitting documents and a 17-page application for means testing.
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It was only when the inquest was upgraded to the current public inquiry that the Home Office agreed to pick up the bill.
Abedi, 23, was jailed for 55 years.
The bomb was detonated by his 22-year-old brother at an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017.
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