An ex-serviceman has been hailed a hero for aiding victims of the Manchester Arena blast.
Darron Coster used his Royal Military Police training to help those injured in the terror bombing that killed 22 people in May 2017.
A public inquiry into the attack heard he had gone to collect his son from the Ariana Grande gig when Salman Abedi detonated his suicide device.
Mr Coster, who served in Northern Ireland, said there was “carnage” in the foyer.
He added there was a small explosion shortly after arriving and he walked towards it, before closing doors to stop people outside witnessing the horror.
“I just thought ‘Nobody needs to see that’ ” he said.
The dad said some young arena staff, who he described as teenagers, were in “quite a state”, adding: “I told them if people were not responding you should leave them.
"If they could communicate, stay with them and provide them with reassurance.
“If you keep somebody talking you have got more chance of them staying alive.”
Mr Coster, who retired from the RMP in 2008 after 22 years service, used a man’s belt and a woman’s handbag strap as tourniquets to stem the bleeding of a couple with leg injuries.
He also helped an injured young man and when the youngster’s mother rang her son's phone, Mr Coster told her: “He’s been involved in the bomb in the Arena. It looks like he will be OK.”
As he helped another casualty her mother rang and he was able to reassure the woman her daughter was alive and likely to survive.
Retired judge Sir John Saunders, chairing the inquiry, told him: “You’re a hero. You did an amazing job and I’m sure everyone is very grateful for what you did.”
The hearing was adjourned until next week.
