Wigan woman who lost dad to Covid-19 is told 'Covid is a hoax' by online trolls

A Wigan woman who lost her father to Covid-19 has revealed the vile abuse she was subjected to after criticising the Government’s “sluggish” handling of the pandemic.

Hannah Brady was told she should “be hanged for questioning our Government” and that Covid-19 was a hoax, by online trolls during her fight for answers about Downing Street’s actions during the virus outbreak.

The 24-year-old, from Hindley, revealed the horrendous abuse to a Parliamentary video call including key opposition politicians.

Hannah has been campaigning for an urgent public inquiry into how the first wave was handled by Downing Street, following the death of her dad Shaun in May.

Shaun was 55 when he died six weeks after contracting the virus. He was a key worker at Wigan’s Heinz Factory, and caught Covid-19 before lockdown was imposed.

In a Zoom call with a Covid-19 All Party Parliamentary Group, Hannah shared the tragic story of how she and 22-year-old sister Tasha lost their dad "30 years too soon", before revealing how online trolls had said she should be hanged for her criticism of the government, and was told that the virus was a hoax.

She told the eight MPs, among them former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas: “My only aim in telling my dad’s story is to better highlight the failures of the Government’s response to the first wave of this pandemic, so that lives can be saved in the coming second Winter wave.

“I am using my grief - grief that has come to me and my sister more than 30 years too soon - and I am subjecting myself to online abuse and trolling that Covid is a hoax, Covid is a lie, that I should be hanged for questioning our government - so that bereaved families are no longer ignored.”

She went on: “We have a wealth of insight into the nightmare of contracting, suffering with, dying from and grieving because of Covid.

“Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice have been willing to share our stories and experience for months but until today in this meeting, we have been actively ignored by those who can listen and make a difference.”

Hannah said Shaun had no underlying health conditions, was fit and active and did not drink or smoke. He “only needed one reason to die”, she said, which was the Government’s “slugging response” to the virus when it first started to spread across the UK, even after the World Health Organisation had declared it a global pandemic emergency 20 days before the country’s lockdown was imposed.

Hannah was speaking on behalf of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families For Justice group, which is made up exclusively of people who have lost family members to the virus.

They are campaigning for an urgent inquiry into the nation’s pandemic response. Their key questions focus on why the lockdown was imposed so late, particularly given evidence from Professor Neil Ferguson which suggested that 22,000 lives could have been saved if the lockdown had started just one week earlier.

Their petition was delivered to Mr Johnson and every single MP in May, with more than 159,000 signatures. But they have been left disheartened by the PM’s refusal to meet with them, or to confirm whether or not the probe would be held in public, as per the group’s request.

Other politicians have been more receptive to speaking to bereaved families, including Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner.