Inquests told of delayed response to Tunisian terror attack which killed Notts man
John Stollery was on holiday with his family when he died.
The terror attack on a Tunisian beach which killed a Nottinghamshire man could have been stopped sooner, a coroner has heard.
Gunman Seifeddine Rezgui targeted the resort near Sousse in June 2015, killing 38 tourists including John Stollery.
Mr Stollery, who was 58 and from Walesby, was on holiday with family including his wife Cheryl.
He had worked for Nottinghamshire County Council for 33 years and was a social worker who supported children in care.
Inquests into the deaths resumed at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Monday and are expected to last seven weeks.
Coroner Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith heard evidence on Monday that an unnamed Tunisian minister had told investigators that security units “had the ability to put an end to the attack before the police arrived but wasted a considerable amount of time in getting to the hotel”.
The hearings are examining the events leading up to and during the incident, and how much security services knew about the threat posed by terrorists in Tunisia before Rezgui targeted the beach and hotels in a 30-minute assault.
Police finally ended the attack by shooting the 23-year-old gunman dead in a back street close to the beach.
The inquests in London will closely examine the deaths of all 30 British victims, with evidence relating to Mr Stollery expected to be heard next month.
The coroner will hear evidence from witnesses including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, senior executives at tour operator TUI, parent company of Thomson, which sold many of the victims their holidays, and management from the Imperial Marhaba Hotel, where the majority of the victims were staying.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, which came three months after an attack at the Bardo National Museum in Tunisia, which led to the deaths of 22 people.
Mr Stollery is among 20 victims whose families are being represented at the inquests by law firm Irwin Mitchell.
Speaking before the hearings, lawyer Clive Garner, of Irwin Mitchell, said: “There are serious concerns and questions about what was done in the face of what appears to have been an escalating threat of terrorist activity in Tunisia prior to these fateful events in Sousse.
“It is important that lessons are learned from this tragic incident to reduce the risk of similar tragedies in future.”
After his death Nottinghamshire County Council created the annual John Stollery award for a child or young person in care who has made a positive difference in their own life or someone else’s.
At a memorial service in June 2016, held to mark the first anniversary of the attack, friends and family paid tribute to Mr Stollery, who they described as “kind thoughtful and loyal”, and a “wonderful man”.
His wife Cheryl said: “The legacy John left was how he inspired us through his strength of character, wicked sense of humour and the kindness he showed to others, he gave of himself so that others could have ‘a brighter future’.”
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