Parents of youngest Manchester Arena victim slam ‘insulting’ compensation payout

The parents of the youngest person to die in the Manchester Arena terror attack have described the government's £11,000 compensation offer as a "complete insult".

Saffie Roussos, eight, was among 22 people who died in the attack at an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017.

Her parents Lisa and Andrew Roussos, who are launching a charity to help support families affected by terror attacks, said they felt let down by the government.

Speaking to the BBC, Mrs Roussos, 48, said: "We was offered £5,500 each for death of Saffie.

"It's a complete insult."

Saffie, from Leyland, Lancashire, was at the concert with her mother and sister, Ashlee Bromwich, when suicide bomber Salman Abedi, 22, detonated a device in the arena's foyer.

Injured victims, or the families of those killed in the attack, could apply for compensation to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), under the government's Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.

Mr Roussos, 44, said £11,000 for Saffie's death was the "maximum" compensation offer.

"A charity needs to be there to help the victims of terrorism," he added.

"There's no help."

The couple said they felt "stuck in 2017" and had struggled to come to terms with Saffie's loss.

Mrs Roussos is taking part in part in the Great Manchester Run on Sunday to launch charity MCR 22 after overcoming injuries she suffered in the blast and learning to walk again.

She spent six weeks in a coma and only learned of Saffie's death when she regained consciousness.

Describing the moment she woke up in hospital with her husband at her bedside, she said: "I can remember thinking: Why has he not mentioned Saffie?'

"And I knew. I just knew.

"I thought: If I'm this badly hurt and she was a tiny eight-year-old then what chance would she have?"

"I said 'she's gone isn't she?'"

The Ministry of Justice has been approached for a comment on the compensation paid out by CICA.

Bereaved families, injured victims and those suffering psychological trauma also received money donated by members of the public.

Payments from the We Love Manchester fund, set up in the wake of the attack, were separate to the government's compensation scheme with more than £20m handed out by the end of 2018.

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