BP lawyer among Britons unlawfully killed in Sri Lanka, coroner rules
British lawyer pays tribute to his ‘wonderful perfect wife’, son, 14, and daughter, 11, who were killed as they ate Easter Sunday breakfast, Sri Lankan terror blast inquest hears
- Anita Nicholson and her children Alexander, 14, and Annabel, 11, all died in blast
- They’d been eating breakfast at Shangri-la Hotel, Colombo, when bomb went off
- Brits Lorraine Campbell, William Harrop and Sally Bradley died at a nearby hotel
- Senior coroner for Essex recorded that six victims were unlawfully killed today
A British lawyer has paid tribute to his ‘wonderful perfect wife’ and two children, who were killed in the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, an inquest has ruled.
BP lawyer Anita Nicholson, 42, and her children Alexander, 14, and Annabel, 11, died instantly when an IED was detonated in the Shangri-la Hotel in Colombo on April 21.
Husband Ben survived the attack and was forced to identify his family who were ‘believed to have died immediately after the explosions’ from ‘penetrating trauma from an explosive device’.
He was seen wandering the streets of Colombo in a blood-soaked T-shirt in a desperate search for news following the Easter Sunday massacre which killed at least 320 people, including 45 children.
Ben, Anita Nicholson with their children Alex and Annabel. All but father Ben were killed during the blast at the Shangri La hotel in Colombo on Easter Sunday
In St. Sebastian’s Church which was damaged in a blast in Negombo, north of Colombo, Sri Lanka
His wife and children were killed in the restaurant of the hotel they were staying at when two suicide bombers walked in and blew themselves up at breakfast.
Mr Nicholson paid tribute to his ‘amazing, intelligent and talented’ family and said they ‘brought joy to the lives of everyone’.
He said they had ‘mercifully died instantly and with no pain or suffering’, in the Table One cafe on the second floor of the hotel.
In a written statement Mr Nicholson paid tribute to his wife who worked for BP and the civil service and his two children who both played rugby for their club Tanglin Rugby Club and school Dulwich College.
Mr Nicholson praised his son’s ‘glowing smile’ and his daughter who ‘lit up the room with her smile’.
He also said his two children ended their ‘lives on a high after a wonderful holiday in Sri Lanka’.
In a prepared statement for the press he said: ‘Our friends and family will forever be devastated by the events of 21 April 2019 and the loss of Anita, Alex and Annabel from our lives.
‘The positive impact that Anita, Alex and Annabel had on the people around them is reflected not only in the enormous loss we are all feeling, but also in the many moving personal tributes received over the past six month.
‘Their tributes, together with our own wonderful memories have helped to sustain us all through this tragic loss.’
IT director Lorraine Campbell, 55, and married couple William Harrop and Sally Bradley also died in a blast at the nearby Cinnamon Grand Hotel.
Dr Sally Bradley and William Harrop died in the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka
Senior coroner for Essex Caroline-Beasley-Murray recorded that all six were unlawfully killed as she concluded inquest hearings in Chelmsford on Tuesday.
She added: ‘On Easter Sunday 21st April 2019 a series of explosions took place at six venues across Sri Lanka killing over 266 people and wounding around 500, amongst the deceased were the six people whose inquests we will hear today.
‘There is no evidence British nationals were specifically targeted, there is an ongoing police investigation into the bombings in Sri Lanka.
‘I chose not to await the outcome of the investigation as the outcome of that will not affect this inquest.’
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