Manchester Arena bombing ambulance chief ‘agrees he showed no leadership on night of attack’

He denies fact he was due to catch flight next day played any part in decision to initially stay home

Twenty-two people were killed in the attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester in 2017 (AFP via Getty Images)

An ambulance service commander has agreed that he provided “no leadership” in the first two hours after the Manchester Arena bombing, a public inquiry has heard.

Twenty-two people died and hundreds more injured in the attack on the night of an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May 2017.

Neil Barnes was the on-call Gold commander, the most senior North West Ambulance Service officer on the night with overall responsibility for “command, response and recovery” in the event of a major incident.

The inquiry into the attack heard the the deputy director at NWAS stayed at home and waited for more information after receiving the first call about an “incident” at the area.

He denied the fact that he was on annual leave the next day and due to catch a flight out of the country affected this decision.

At 10.40pm on May 22 2017, Mr Barnes was at home and heard his work phone ringing and took a call from NWAS Silver commander Annemarie Rooney.

He said he was told of a “suspected bombing attack” at the arena and agreed with a decision for Ms Rooney to go to the tactical co-ordinating group established at the headquarters of Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

Mr Barnes said he was awaiting a second call from Ms Rooney and more information before leaving home himself.

Mr Barnes agreed he did not call the emergency operations centre of NWAS or use his radio to listen in on radio traffic to find out what was going on.

Paul Greaney QC, counsel to the inquiry, said by 10.54pm paramedic Paddy Ennis had been into the City Room and reported back a scene of “devastation”, with people dead and dying, and NWAS had declared a major incident.

“Just sitting at home, waiting for information... does not seem like leadership, let alone strategic leadership,” Mr Greaney said.

Mr Barnes said: “I think the process is clear. I don’t get involved as a strategic commander.”

Mr Greaney asked the NWAS deputy director whether the fact he had a flight to catch at midday the next day had any impact on his decision to stay at home, to which Mr Barnes replied: “None whatsoever.”

The inquiry heard that Mr Barnes then got a call from Steve Taylor, a tactical adviser, telling him a strategic command group would be held at GMP HQ and he needed to attend.

Mr Barnes said he left home at 11.40pm, an hour after the initial call from Ms Rooney.

Mr Greaney said: “Given you arrived at 12.30am, you arrived in the command suite two hours after the explosion, 50 minutes after the last living casualty was evacuated from the City Room. In the first two hours after the attack, you provided no leadership?”

Mr Barnes said: “I agree sir.”

Mr Greaney continued: “You made no decision that made any difference to the response on the ground?”

Mr Barnes said: “I agree sir.”

The hearing was told the “whole point” of Mr Barnes going to GMP HQ was so that strategic Gold commanders from the police and fire service could hold a joint meeting to co-ordinate the response to the attack.

But before this could happen, Mr Barnes had requested to be relieved by another NWAS commander, as he was scheduled to catch a flight the next day, the hearing heard.

Mr Barnes was subsequently awarded the Queen’s Ambulance Service Medal as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2018.

The inquiry is looking into the events before, during and after the Manchester Arena terror attack in 2017.

The 22 victims were killed after Salman Abedi detonated a suicide bomb among Ariana Grande fans and relatives waiting to collect them.

The hearing continues.

Additional reporting by Press Association