Manchester Arena attack: Murderer Hashem Abedi 'is a coward'

Teenage couple Chloe Rutherford and Liam Curry were among 22 people killed in the arena attack

The families of a couple killed in the Manchester Arena bombing say a man jailed for their murders is a "coward" for refusing to attend his sentencing.

Liam Curry, 19, and Chloe Rutherford, 17, from South Shields, died along with 20 others at a concert on 22 May 2017.

Hashem Abedi has been jailed for 55 years for murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to cause an explosion.

Abedi, the brother of the suicide bomber, withdrew from his trial and did not appear for sentencing.

He chose to remain downstairs in the Old Bailey cells rather than listen to emotional testimony from those affected, including from Caroline Curry and Lisa Rutherford, the mothers of Liam and Chloe.

The bereaved families said the trial meant hearing "torturous information about this attack on our children".

Following sentencing, the families said that during his trial Abedi had chosen "which days or sessions he would attend, some days feigning illness and some days just being downright disrespectful to us as families, the judge and the jury".

Chloe Rutherford was 17 when she was killed in the attack at the end of an Ariana Grande concert

In a statement, the families said: "For us to have to sit in there and listen while he hid downstairs or in [prison] shows just what an absolute coward he is.

"We find it quite insulting that even after a guilty verdict he is still allowed to dictate terms by refusing to face the judge and his sentence."

On the first day of the two-day sentencing hearing, the judge told the court he did not have the "legal right" to compel a prisoner to attend.

The families said "no sentence will be enough for us" because ultimately it is not Abedi "who is serving that sentence".

The families said they do not want Chloe and Liam to be remembered as victims

"We will be the ones serving that sentence, we've had our children ripped from us in the most horrific way and nothing will ever come close to taking that searing pain away," they said.

Paying tribute, they said: "Chloe and Liam were beautiful, hardworking and loving kids who had dreams and ambitions just like any other teenagers in love and so we needed them to be remembered for all the right reasons and not as victims."

'Positive thoughts'

The families created the Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust to raise funds to help children and young people in sport and performance - "two areas that Chloe and Liam loved".

They said this legacy meant that "our kids will be forever remembered for the positive things the trust does and not as victims".

"When people hear their names we want them to picture the kids as the smiling, happy and beautiful kids they are," they said.

"We want people to think about the positive things the trust does and the help and support that has been given in their names.

"When we have our first West End performer or our first England cricketer, we want people to remember it is Chloe and Liam who have provided some of the support for them to achieve these dreams and smile just as they would."

The parents of 29-year-old victim Martyn Hett, pictured, said Abedi was not "man enough" to face the families

Speaking in Manchester, Paul Hett, the father of victim Martyn Hett, 29, said: "First of all we have spent two days listening to harrowing details of lives that have been shattered, not just the 22, but hundreds of lives changed forever."

Abedi was a "coward" who was not even "man enough" to come to court to hear how he had affected them, Mr Hett said.

Speaking outside the Old Bailey, Mr Hett's mother Figen Murray said the sentence had "reaffirmed to us that the British justice system is strong and fair and punishes those who break the law".

"Although our lives have been deeply affected by what happened, we can now at least put the trial behind us and mentally prepare ourselves for the public inquiry that is starting soon," she said.

In a statement, the family of victim Kelly Brewster, 32, said: "His sentence will never compare to the sentence we have to live for the rest of our lives without Kelly.

"One day he will be free but we will forever be broken."