A SECURITY guard may have died after being exposed to asbestos in the wake of an IRA bomb attack.
The IRA bombing of Manchester in 1996.
Stuart Packard, who lived in Broomfield with his wife and two children, was deployed as part of the clean-up operation near Manchester’s Arndale Centre shopping complex following the attack in June 1996.
He was referred to Basildon Hospital where he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, eventually dying at Farleigh Hospice on October 30, 2015.
Mr Packard, who was married to Julie, was father to Kian, 10, and Isla, 5.
Julie said: “We miss him very much, more than words can ever say; he was a fantastic, loving, caring husband and father.
“We have had fantastic friendships and support which are continuing to give us strength in the future.
“This disease just came back to get him so many years later.
“We all live with the threat of terrorism now every day – and it was terrorism all those years ago that caused his tragic death.”
The Packard Family.
The bombing injured more than 200 people and caused £1.5 billion worth of damage.
Mrs Beasley-Murray said: “He worked as a security guard in the Arndale Centre, and after the IRA explosion in 1996 he was exposed to asbestos because of the building work going on around him.”
Buildings within a half-mile radius of the Manchester blast were destroyed, while the clean-up was made more complicated by the asbestos present in a number of damaged buildings.
Solicitors at Fieldfisher in London are dealing with a potential civil claim for compensation after concerns were raised that Mr Packard may not have been given appropriate protective clothing.
Specialist mesothelioma and asbestos solicitor Peter Williams said: “His doctor performed a lung biopsy and was shocked to discover he was suffering from the disease so young.
“Mesothelioma usually attacks people at retirement age, but Mr Packard was only 40 when he died, which makes this case even more tragic.”
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After leaving Manchester to return to his native Essex in 1997, Mr Packard met wife Julie, with her proposing to him live on TV during a leap-year challenge in 2004.
He went on to work as a health and safety officer for the Ministry of Defence for a decade, while Julie worked as a paediatric nurse.
A fundraising campaign set up in the wake of his diagnosis has gone on to raise more than £4,000.
Stuart’s dad Keith, 71, said: “He was a super bloke and a great son and brother. We all loved him to bits and I have been struggling for the last few days as it was his birthday on March 31.”
Mrs Beasley-Murray ruled that he died of an industrial disease.
Source: Essex Chronicle
