As he tried in vain to save the life of his youngest victim, the Manchester terror attacks’ terrorist attacker’s mother, a police officer realized that paramedics were not going to reach her arena soon.
British Transport Police Sergeant Mark Haviland assisted in carrying eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos from his injuries on a bloodstained advertisement board. The advertising board was located at the City Room foyer. That is where Salman Abedi detonated the device that killed 22 people on May 22, 2017.
On-duty detective constable, he parked near Trinity Way and made his way towards the City Room. There, he was told by senior officers to assist casualties.
Sophie Cartwright, QC was the counsel to the inquiry. She asked: “Was there anything about paramedics or what was going on with paramedics?”
Saffie-Rose Roussos (pictured), eight, from Leyland, Lancashire, suffered massive blood loss from shrapnel wounds to her legs caused by the explosion in the City Room foyer of the venue
Today’s public inquiry revealed that British Transport Police Sgt Haviland knew Saffie Rose would need to be saved by medics, so he carried her on a stretcher together with other members of the public.
He said, “No. But from my experiences I knew that they wouldn’t be coming. And it won’t be anytime soon.”
“I heard mentions about secondary devices on the scene, and there was mention of an active shooter. They had spoken to GMP (Greater Manchester Police), and it seems they were talking with the ambulance service.
“If there is an active threat, then the ambulance will not travel near the Arena until someone has confirmed that the threat is gone. I did not believe they could confirm it at that time so I knew they wouldn’t.
He stated that there wasn’t much information available about ambulances, and assumed they’d not have gone to an official rendezvous point to go to Arena until the safety of everyone.
Sir John Saunders, chairman of the Inquiry said that it was impossible to guarantee no secondary devices going off in an instance like this.
The investigation has learned that no secondary devices were found at the scene, and that the shooting report was incorrect.
Mark Haviland from BTP carried Saffie Rose on a stretcher made of wood, as he realized paramedics might not be able to get inside the arena.
According to Sgt Haviland, the above-mentioned concerns are on his mind. He also believes that Saffie, the youngest victim of Arena’s attack would be left on the City Room floor if she wasn’t moved quickly.
Together with Paul Reid, Bethany Crook (off-duty nurse), and Leon McLaughlin (GMP officer), he assisted in carrying her to safety on a makeshift stretcher.
He said that they were unable to find an ambulance when they arrived at Trinity Way.
McLaughlin was then a constable in police force. He recalled that the City Room scene was a ‘complete assault on the senses… With the noise and smell as well as the sights’.
According to him, Saffie Rose was “clearly gravely injures” and that the makeshift stretcher used was “heavily stained”.
He added, “There were dead and dying people all around her.” It was difficult to identify which person’s blood.
After the horrible attack, Saffie Rose’s sister Ashlee and brother Xander attended her colourful funeral. As a public inquiry prepares for more information about the incident, a devastating report was shared with Saffie’s last moments.
Saffie Rose Roussos and Lisa Roussos were walking out of the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester Arena May 2017 (pictured together), when Salman Abedi detonated the bomb in the venue’s foyer. It killed 22 people, including Saffie Rose.
According to Sgt McLaughlin, he was in the City Room about fifteen to twenty minutes. He couldn’t see any emergency personnel.
He stated, “I feel that if she waited, then she would be dead.” He wanted to rescue her.
“It was running through my mind that there was an additional device or someone would appear at any given moment with a gun and shoot.
Although he expressed his deep frustration at the absence of paramedics at City Room, he said that this was due to his lack of understanding at the time about how ambulance services work. He learned more after the inquiry.
Ms. Crook stated to the inquiry that Trinity Way looked ‘like ghost town’ after they put the Saffie Rose-carrying board on the sidewalk.
She replied, “I thought she was taking me to a better position.” “I thought that I was taking her everywhere, she would get every service she required.
Ms Crook stated that Saffie Rose’s health was declining as she traveled to Trinity Way via the link tunnel to Arena. She kept monitoring her pulse and breathing to make sure it wasn’t too late.
She cried as she remembered: “I was looking at her slide away, and I couldn’t do anything.”
Saffie Rose’s ambulance arrived at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital around 11.23pm. This was 52 minutes after bombing. However, Saffie Rose who suffered severe shrapnel wounds in her legs and died at 11.40pm.
On the night of the incident, only three paramedics entered City Room. One was the one who was already evacuated and briefly leant on her before proceeding to evaluate casualties.