Losing Martyn prompted Figen, his therapist mother, to complete a masters degree in counter-terrorism. He later created an interactive video game which put the player in his shoes that day, and the resulting publicity prompted apologies from some of the reporters who had asked for comment in the aftermath. And at that point, none of us knew if Martyn had just found some mates and gone to an after party.”ĭan Hett, Martyn’s older brother, had also received approaches at his home the morning after the attack. Because you’re not in the right state of mind. Looking back, Stuart thinks it wasn’t right for journalists to door-step the family so early in the tragedy: “There should be some sort of grace period where they don’t pester you. Their other children – adults Dan and Emma and teenagers Nikita and Louise – were waiting for news of their brother and kept answering the door to reporters offering premature condolences.

The day after the atrocity, the Murray’s home in Stockport had been visited by a constant stream of journalists. He told his friends he would join them soon, saying airily: “I’m just talking to my fans.” But the security guards wouldn’t let him back in the Arena, which is how he ended up in the foyer, near Abedi and his rucksack packed with explosives. The family later learned that Martyn was only there because he had gone into conversation with a stranger about his tattoo – created on the E4 programme Tattoo Fixers – after going to the toilet near the end of the concert.

Martyn had been just four metres away from Salman Abedi when he detonated his suicide bomb. I gave her a big hug,” remembered Stuart this week. “We were taken to a little room and told they’d found Martyn. They were in the stadium car park when a family liaison officer ran after them. It had gone 7pm when the Murrays decided to go home. There’s only one person with a Deirdre Barlow tattoo on their leg.”Įvery now and again, another family would be ushered upstairs to learn their loved one’s fate. “I started to think there’s only one reason why they aren’t telling us and that’s because Martyn has been blown to bits. “It was the longest day ever,” said Stuart, a GP. Surely that would make him easy to identify? The Murrays told police that the 29-year-old social media manager had a tattoo of his favourite Coronation Street matriarch. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The GuardianĪs the hours ticked by, there was still no sign of Martyn. Dr Stuart Murray, stepfather of Martyn Hett one of the 22 victims of the Manchester Arena bomb attack on, at home in Poynton, Cheshire.

Marty stuart tattoo picture