'We never thought we would go on holiday and one of us wouldn't come back'

Daily Mirror

13 hours ago

John and Cheryl Stollery were on holiday with their son in Tunisia when an ISIS gunman went on the rampage in June 2015. Ex-paratrooper John, 58, died instantly after being shot in the head
The widow of a social worker killed in the horrific Tunisia terror attack that took place ten years ago has spoken to the Mirror of how the "images of that day will never leave" her.
John Stollery, 58, was among 30 Britons who died when Seifeddine Rezgui opened fire at the Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel. The former Paratrooper was on holiday with his wife Cheryl and 21-year-old son Matt when the atrocity took place on June 26, 2015. John and Cheryl had just finished their morning swim and were drying off with a coffee by the pool in Sousse when gunfire erupted.
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They were planning to meet university student Matt on the fourth floor of the five-star hotel and head for lunch. Instead, they suddenly found themselves running for their lives as Kalashnikov-wielding Rezgui went on the rampage.
John was shot in the side of the temple in the hotel car park wearing only his swimming shorts. Since his death, Cheryl, 64, from Newark, Notts, has campaigned for more support for victims of terror attacks.
She is part of a group of survivors and relatives who held talks with the government on how support can be improved. Plans were recently unveiled for a national day to honour victims and survivors of terror attacks.
The announcement was part of Government efforts to boost support for those affected by terrorism. Cheryl, who recently retired as a social worker, still finds it hard to speak about her husband's death.
But she told the Mirror she is determined to ensure her husband's legacy continues. She said John, who completed two tours in Belfast with the Parachute Regiment, was 'motivated by kindness'.
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"I will never forget what happened and how that impacted on our lives and other peoples' lives,' she said. 'We never thought we would go on holiday and one of us wouldn't come back.
'But it is about hope, and finding peace for the future. You can let hate eat you away, but it is not going to bring you any satisfaction.
'My son and I will be spending time together with our friends to mark the anniversary. We will be reflecting on John's life, and all the funny things he did, all the laughter he brought us. Not the sad memories but the happy memories, because that is what John would want."
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Cheryl told the Mirror she is determined to ensure her husband's 'legacy of kindness' continues. 'We need to educate the young people out there and communities so that we all live cohesively together,' she said.
'Jo Cox said before she died about how we have more in common than that that divides us, and we really do need to focus on that. I have kept my promise to John to keep his legacy of kindness alive and to do all I can to bring about better outcomes.
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'But there is still a long way to go. Victims of terrorism are living their lives one day, and the next it is totally ripped away from you. They are never going to get over what has happened, we are never going to forget what has happened.
'It's important that we can support all victims, bereaved families and survivors, to be able to find a new normal - if that is at all possible - and have more control in finding a way forward. We need the government, who makes promises every time an attack occurs that victims and families will get the help, to keep those promises.
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"We don't always get the information that we have been promised - certainly overseas victims of terrorism don't get the answers that we look for. I will do all that I can to change that.
"It is not about looking back, but looking forward and finding a focus for better outcomes. I am sure that given this unsafe and turbulent world, other situations will occur."
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Cheryl gave a heartbreaking account of her final moments with John during an inquest into his death in 2017. She told the hearing in London how she saw a gunman dressed in black trousers and a black shirt run past her.
'I turned round thinking John was still immediately behind me and said 'John, he is there, he has got a gun',' said Cheryl. "The gunman went past me. I expected him (John) to be at the side of me or just behind me. And when I turned around, John was on the floor.
"I screamed 'no' very loudly and 'John, John'. I went back up to him, stood over him and I could see from that moment he had already died. Although his eyes were open, there was nothing there. I could see the damage caused to his head, especially the left-hand side of his temple."
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She stood over her husband for a few seconds before running back into the hotel to find her son. But she had to hide in a phone booth as the shootings continued and later took cover with other holidaymakers in a laundry room.
The Stollery family and relatives of 21 other victims reached an out-of-court settlement with travel operator TUI after the carnage. They alleged TUI was responsible for safety and security breaches at the hotel, which the company denied. In 2017 an inquest ruled that the 30 Britons were unlawfully killed.
ISIS-inspired student Rezgui was shot dead by Tunisian police and nine conspirators were later jailed for their role in the attack. Four militants were given life sentences, while five others were sentenced to between six months and 16 years.
Chamseddine al-Sandi, the man believed to have planned the attack, remains at large. Unconfirmed reports suggested he may have died in a US air strike in February 2016 in Libya.