the times | Tuesday September 15 2020 2GM 9
News
The actor Robbie Coltrane has
defended JK Rowling’s views about
transgender people and said that social
media users who were offended should
“get over” themselves.
Coltrane, 70, played Rubeus Hagrid
in the film adaptation of Rowling’s
Harry Potter books, having previously
been best known for his lead role in the
ITV crime series Cracker.
Activists have accused Rowling, 55, of
transphobia for tweeting about the im-
portance of biological sex and asking in
June why a headline referred to “people
who menstruate” rather than “women”.
“I don’t think what she said was of-
fensive really,” Coltrane told the Radio
Times. “I don’t know why but there’s a
whole Twitter generation of people
who hang around waiting to be offend-
JK Rowling faced further allegations of
transphobia after an early review of her
latest crime thriller said that it featured
a “transvestite serial killer”.
Troubled Blood involves a male mur-
derer who fetishises women’s clothing
and disguises himself as a woman to ab-
duct one of his victims.
Jake Kerridge wrote in The Sunday
Telegraph: “One wonders what critics
of Rowling’s stance on trans issues will
make of a book whose moral seems to
be: never trust a man in a dress.”
The details of the plot, which Rowl-
ing wrote under the pseudonym Robert
Galbraith, reignited the row over her
views on transgender issues. She hasA mother has told how she desperately
tried to save the life of her 14-year-old
daughter after a terrorist blew himself
up metres away as thousands of people
were leaving the Manchester Arena.
Samantha Leczkowski told the
inquiry into the 2017 attack that she was
still broken and devastated by the loss
of her daughter Sorrell.
The inquiry heard that the Islamist
terrorist Salman Abedi struck as Mrs
Leczkowski, her mother and Sorrell
waited for her other daughter, Laura,
then 13. She found Sorrell on the
ground and began resuscitation,
despite being injured herself.
In a statement to the inquiry, Mrs
Leczkowski said: “I feel that I let her
down and I didn’t save her. I am beyond
devastated, I am broken. As well as
dealing with both me and mum being
blown up, I have to deal with seeing
Sorrell blown up and die in my arms.
Losing one of my children has killed
me. I may as well be dead. I have no life
without Sorrell.
“I don’t care that my leg doesn’t work
properly, I don’t care that I’m constant-
ly in pain from it because the pain in my
heart is the worst pain I’ve ever had and
it won’t go away. I want Sorrell to come
home. I think this is just a nightmare
and I will wake up, but I never do. I want
to curl up in bed and never leave.”
Sorrell was one of the 22 victims
killed when Abedi, 22, attacked the are-
na during an Ariana Grande concert.
His brother, Hashem, who helped him,
was sentenced to at least 55 years in
prison last month for their murders.
Mrs Leczkowski, from Leeds, was
among four sets of relatives who began
to provide pen portraits of loved ones as
the inquiry began its second week.
She told how Sorrell’s bedroom had
remained untouched since the family
left for Manchester on the morning of
May 22. The teenager had ambitions of
enrolling on an eight-year course in
architecture in New York.
The inquiry, at Manchester magis-
trates’ court, will continue today.
Paul Greaney, QC, counsel to the in-
quiry, said it would “ensure the de-
ceased and their families are at the
centre of this process”.
Some relatives have already spoken
of their desire for answers, with much of
the last week focused on the response
of the emergency services.
Concern remains over parts of the
inquiry that will remain private.
The home secretary turned the
inquest into a public inquiry last Octo-
ber at the request of the coroner, in
order to consider some of the evidence
behind closed doors.
Coltrane backs Rowling in gender row
ed. They wouldn’t have won the war,
would they?”
He acknowledged that he may come
across as a “grumpy old man” but said
that he had little time for people online
who took offence. “Oh, get over your-
self. Wise up, stand up straight and
carry on,” he said.
The actor predicted that his re-
marks would lead to criticism. “I
don’t want to get involved in
all of that because of all the
hate mail and all that shit,
which I don’t need at my
time of life,” he said.
Coltrane’s public
support for Rowling con-
trasts with the stancetaken by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Wat-
son and Rupert Grint, the series’ three
young stars. Radcliffe, 30, apologised to
Harry Potter fans who felt the books
had been “tarnished” by the writer’s
contribution to the transgender de-
bate. Watson, 30, tweeted: “Trans
people are who they say they are
and deserve to live their lives
without being constantly ques-
tioned or told they aren’t
who they say they are.”
Grint, 31, said: “Trans
women are women.
Trans men are men.”
Coltrane was speak-
ing to promote a
forthcoming episode
of the Sky Arts antho-
logy series Urban Myths,
in which he plays Orson
Welles.... as her latest crime novel
features transvestite killer
Greg Wilford
Matthew Moore Media Correspondent
been accused of transphobia by several
people on Twitter, and the hashtag
#RIPJKRowling began trending.
One user said: “In memory of jk rowl-
ing. She ain’t dead, but she killed her
own career by proudly hating trans
people.”
Rowling, 55, was defended by other
Twitter users who posted the hashtag
#IStandWithJKrowling.
The author has been embroiled in a
bitter debate since June. She spelt out
her views on her website, where she ex-
pressed empathy with trans women but
criticised attempts to “erode ‘woman’ as
a political and biological class”.
Rowling denies being transphobic.
Her representative told The Times that
she would not be issuing a comment.Robbie Coltrane has told
people who took offence
to “get over” themselvesmartyn hett, 29,
from stockport,
greater manchesterThe family of Mr Hett, who
was described as a
Coronation Street
“superfan”, said they had
identified him by a tattoo of
Deirdre Barlow on his leg.
His father, Paul, told thespecial girl, of course she
was, she was mine.
“She was a little bit
different, not run of the mill.
A happy fun-loving girl who
adored her family and would
do anything for you.
“The world was her oyster
and whatever Eilidh had put
her mind to she would have
been good at.” She added:
“My whole world has been
shattered to pieces.”
Her father, Roderick,
talked about how her
confidence grew when she
joined the Sgoil Lionacleit
Pipe Band which takes
members from across the
Western Isles. The band was
“placed” in the World Pipe
Band Championship 2016 in
Glasgow Green.
“To hear little Eilidh and
her band getting a placing in
their category was stunning,
absolutely stunning, she was
so proud that day,” her
father said.john atkinson, 28, from
radcliffe, greater
manchesterMr Atkinson, who worked as
a care assistant with autistic
adults, had an IQ of 137 —
putting him in the top 2 per
cent of the population.
His mother and
stepfather, Daryl and Kevan
Price, said in a statement:
“You only had to show him
how to do something once
and he’d mastered it.” Mr
Atkinson loved music and
his parents said that “you
could actually hear the
music blasting from his car
as it turned the corner at the
top of the street.” He had a
long-term partner, Michael,
and had “made his mind up
to foster” but it was “never
meant to be”, his mother
said.
“He was the centre of our
world, we miss him so
much,” she added. “His love,
his personality, his
thoughtful ways. Our house
now is too quiet without him
here. Our lives will forever
be sad now.”people, is Martyn Hett your
son? We reply with all the
pride in the world, yes
Martyn’s our son.”eilidh macleod, 14,
from barra, outer
hebridesThe young musician had
travelled to Manchester for
the Ariana Grande concert
with her mother, Marion,
and her friend, Laura
McIntyre, who was badly
injured in the attack.
Her mother told the
inquiry: “Eilidh was aArena victim, 14, died in mother’s arms
Duncan Gardham, Charlotte Wace
inquiry: “Sadly this was one
of the reasons we were able
to identify him so soon after
the tragedy. Who else would
have such a thing?”
A video made by his
father and brothers
showcased Mr Hett’s talents
as a social media star and
soap opera impressionistand called on others to “be
more Martyn”. “Over the
years Martyn made many
hilarious videos, enjoyed by
many all over the world. We
hope this lives up to his high
standards,” his father said.
In the video he was seen
doing impressions of
Coronation Street’s Deirdre
Barlow and Audrey Roberts,
and the singer Jessie J.
Breaking down in tears,
his father added: “Due to
Martyn’s huge social media
following we have been
asked many, many times bySoap opera fan’s family
identified him by tattoo
Tributes were paid to the
Manchester Arena victims
Eilidh MacLeod, far left, John
Atkinson, top, Martyn Hett and
Sorrell LeczkowskiPA; AFP; DUNCAN GARDHAM