The inquest into the death of Blackwood woman Trudy Jones, and 29 other Britons who were killed in the Tunisia beach terror attack, is due to begin today at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.
Care home worker Ms Jones, 51, was killed on Friday, June 26, 2015, when lone gunman Seifiddine Rezgui opened fire on a beach in the resort of Sousse, killing 38 people.
The mother-of-four was holidaying in Tunisia with friends and been due to return home on the Sunday after the attack.
The inquests are expected to last for seven weeks.
Andrew Ritchie QC, who has been appointed by Irwin Mitchell to represent 20 families at the inquests, said: “These inquests will seek to answer important questions for the families, in particular: how their loved ones came to be exposed to terrorism at the five-star hotel; whether Tui communicated Foreign and Commonwealth Office terrorism warnings to their customers before or after bookings; the security arrangements – if any – in place at the Imperial Hotel; and whether the holiday insurance sold by Tui to customers covered terrorism.
“The families seek the truth and respect the coronial system and the hard work put into the preparation of the evidence by the UK police. They wish to see a better warning system in place to prevent future deaths and so that holidaymakers can make better-informed decisions when purchasing holidays abroad.”
Some evidence may be considered behind closed doors due to its sensitivity in preventing future terrorist attacks, following an application by the UK Government.
A Tui spokeswoman said: “Tui UK is taking a full and active role in the inquests into the deaths of the 30 British nationals killed during the terrorist attack in Sousse, Tunisia in June 2015.
“Like others, we want to understand the specific circumstances that led to this atrocity. We are cooperating with the coroner and will continue to do so, in order to help ensure that the tragic deaths of those killed can be thoroughly investigated, the relevant facts determined and any lessons learned. With the inquests about to be heard, we consider that it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”