EXCLUSIVE British mother whose son, father and brother were murdered in Tunisia terror attack reveals heartbreaking moment her youngest boy told her he was the only survivor

Daily Mail​

6 hours ago

The phone rang as Suzanne Richards got home from work. The house was quiet without her teenage boys, who had left the evening before for a 'lads holiday' with their uncle and grandfather.
The four were inseparable - when Suzanne became a single mother her family had stepped up, with her brother and father becoming the male role models her sons needed.
United by their love for Only Fools and Horses, the mother-of-two would call the trips to their beloved Walsall Football Club their Jolly Boys Outings. This year, to celebrate her youngest, Owen finishing his GCSEs, they were off to soak up the sun on a beachside holiday in Tunisia.
But when Suzanne picked up the receiver she heard Owen's terrified voice coming down the line - as they sat on white plastic sun loungers by the pool, an Islamic State gunman had unleashed hell as he systematically cut his way through the innocent holidaymakers.
Her 16-year-old son had been grazed by a bullet that went on to hit his uncle Adrian Evans, 49, in the head, killing him. In the indiscriminate horror, his brother Joel, 19, and grandfather Patrick, 78, were also murdered.
Ten years on from the now-infamous terrorist attack at the Riu Imperial Marhaba hotel, Suzanne says she wouldn't have made it through the next few days without Owen.
She told MailOnline: 'I waved them off on the Thursday and never thought anything of it.
Joel, 19, and grandfather Patrick, 78, were murdered by the Islamic State gunman in Tunisia in 2015
'I couldn't comprehend what Owen was saying to me. You don't expect someone to ring you and tell you that your family have all just been shot.
'Owen saved me. He was the person that gave me the will to carry on. I do say to a lot of people, and people find this really hard: "You know what? It could have been worse. I could have lost all of them."
'If I'd lost all of them, I wouldn't be here now talking about it.'
Seifeddine Rezgui, 23 - who hid his AK-47 assault rifle concealed in a parasol - began his horror attack by shooting at sunbathers on the beach.
The young Tunisian, who had trained with Islamic militants in neighbouring Libya, then worked his way on to the hotel pool before throwing a grenade into the five-star hotel.
In the hotel reception area, he let off grenades, killing one of his youngest victims, Carly Lovett, who was just 24.
Rezgui - who was high on cocaine at the time - was shot dead by police after carrying out the attack, for which terror group Islamic State claimed responsibility.
A total of 38 people were killed in the 21 minute, 38 second rampage. 30 of them were British.
After his death, police said he could have killed many more. An unexploded bomb was found on his person - with the detonator just inches away from his body.
Doctors spoke of the heroic way that - even in the middle of the devastating scene of loss - Owen had been found trying to help a woman with her injuries in the hotel gardens.
When the teenager was discovered in 2015 he was reported to have said simply: 'I have to call my mum.'
His brother Joel had been an exciting footballing talent and had been put in a steering group to become a Premier League referee. A strong part of the local community, on their arms local referees now wear the Smile for Joel logo - a charity set up by Suzanne following the tragedy.
He was in the process of deciding whether to persue a refereeing career after his second year at Worcester University studying sports science, and had spent the weeks before doing work experience at his old primary school.
Describing him, Suzanne remembered how good he was at diluting arguments, especially on the pitch.
'He was an absolutely charming young man, very polite and very, very handsome,' she said. 'He was very humble as well.
'He absolutely adored his brother and was a brilliant son for me, and he just loved his uncle, loved his granddad and his nana. We were a six. We were very close six. We went everywhere together.'
Now-treasured photos show him beaming alongside a group of 10-year-olds at a Caribbean day he had organised - all wearing inflatable parrots, hula skirts and leis borrowed from his mother's career in the travel industry.
Taken just two days before they set off to Tunisia, Suzanne said that is 'hard to believe such a joyful celebration came so shortly before their trip'.
Underneath a post on Facebook, parents and fellow teachers flooded to share their memories about his short time with the children.
One, Maura, said: 'I remember this well. It was Joel's last day at St Mary's. He brought treats for the staff to thank them for being so welcoming and supportive during his work experience and we were so grateful and glad to have had him for those 2 weeks.
'The children loved him, we all did! Joel will forever be part of the amazing St. Mary's family.'
Another, Janet, added: 'Remember that day so well, the kids had a brilliant day, he could brighten up a room the minute he entered it.'
But speaking about the treasured picture, Suzanne admitted that each time they shared a new memory it was bittersweet.
'You never get any new photographs. I use the same photographs over and over again. That's one thing you realize when you lose someone, you run out of new pictures.'
After the beach-side massacre, Suzanne used her contacts in the travel industry to secure a flight out to Tunisia to bring Owen home and search for her brother and father.
But when she arrived in the early hours of the morning, she found the place in chaos. After holding inquests into the British deaths in January and February 2017, Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith condemned the response of Tunisian police as 'at best shambolic, at worst cowardly'.
Suzanne said: 'You're in a third world country, so let's just say things may have been different if you'd have been in the UK.
'There wasn't any police, police response. Without poking the bear again in the inquest it was said that the rescue emergency services were shambolic.'
When they returned home, the family were astounded by the wave of emotion that met them as the plane landed.
Suzanne started a charity to pay for experiences for traumatised families after crimes, referred from victim support which has raised £650,000. She is today completing a sponsored wing walk in memory of her son and received an MBE for her work in 2024.
This year, Walsall made it to Wembley for the first time since Joel, Owen, Patrick and Adrian posed outside it in 2015. While they were again defeated in their League Two playoff bid, the three men's faces were in the stadium again, this time their photos on a flag.
But as she and Owen were forced to continue with their lives they faced heartbreak at every turn.
She explained: 'Owen had just finished his GCSEs on the Wednesday and then they flew out the next day to celebrate him finishing. You can imagine how hard it was for Owen when his GCSE results came through in the August, and the only people he wanted to share his results with weren't here.
'He smashed it. He did really well. He there was a big, big competition between him and his brother, what his brother got, and then what he got. He got much higher than him but his brother wasn't here to tell.
'That was the heartbreak. I've never seen anybody so sad, picking up their GCSE results and getting As and Distinctions. It was just awful.'
Owen bravely continued with his studies - going to sixth form and on to university. He is a co-founder for Smile for Joel and came back from his travels across the globe to mark the anniversary.
Suzanne had pushed him to continue exploring, even after the Tunisia tragedy, knowing he would find joy exploring the globe.
'He went traveling. He went to see the world. He went to go and see all the places that his brother never got to see,' she said.
'What he's been through and what he's witnessed, he's amazing. I want him to travel. He's lost so much, the last thing I want him to do was to not live his life to the full and I wanted him to go out and see the world.
'He often says that he spent a lot of time with his granddad and his uncle, and he picked up a lot of their ways. He had good role models.'
Among those who later faced trial were six security personnel accused of failing to provide assistance to people in danger during the Sousse attack. Six policemen were also among the defendants, charged with potentially criminal negligence and delay.
Families battling for justice only received a settlement from travel firm Tui in 2022.
In 2019 seven jihadists involved in the attacks at a museum in Tunis and on the beach in Sousse were handed life sentences.
The closely linked shootings, which occurred just months apart in Tunis and Sousse, saw dozens of defendants go on trial, with many acquitted.
Four were sentenced to life in prison for the shooting rampage at a Sousse tourist resort in June 2015, which killed 38 people, mostly British tourists.
Five other defendants in the Sousse case were handed jail terms ranging from six months to six years, while 17 were acquitted, prosecution spokesman Sofiene Sliti said.
Three were given life sentences for the earlier attack in March 2015 at the capital's Bardo National Museum, in which two gunmen killed 21 foreign tourists and a Tunisian security guard.
Others found guilty of links to the Bardo attack were sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to 16 years, and a dozen defendants were acquitted.
In all, 30 Britons were killed in the Tunisian beach massacre, along with three Irish citizens.
One British tourist was shot dead in an earlier attack on the country's national museum.
They were:
British tourist Sally Adey, 57, from Shropshire, was among 22 people killed as ISIS terrorists opened fire at the Bardo National Museum in the capital Tunis in March 2015
Joel Richards, 19, a student at the University of Worcester and a talented football referee, believed to be the youngest of the British victims in the Sousse attack in June 2015; his uncle Adrian Evans, a manager at Sandwell Council in the West Midlands; and his grandfather Charles 'Patrick' Evans, 78
Former plumber John Welch, 74, and his partner Eileen Swannack, 73, from Wiltshire. The couple, who had been together for eight years, were staying at the RIU Imperial Marhaba, a hotel they 'adored' and stayed in every year of their relationship
Christopher Bell, 59, and his 54-year-old wife Sharon, from Leeds
John Stollery, 58, a social worker from Nottinghamshire. He was on holiday with his wife Cheryl and son. He worked with children in care at Nottinghamshire County Council, and his wife said 'he made a difference and gave his best to others'
Retired scientist David Thompson, 80, from Tadley, Hampshire. It is understood he used to work for the Atomic Weapons Establishment and was a keen walker
Chris Dyer, 32, an engineer who practised jiu-jitsu, from Watford. He was on holiday with his wife Gina Van Dort when he was shot. She clung on to her dead husband's hand as paramedics tried to get her to safety, according to reports
Trudy Jones, 51, a divorced single mother-of-four from Gwent, South Wales. Described by her family as 'a caring person who put everyone else before herself', she had been holidaying with friends when she was killed
Bruce Wilkinson, 72, a grandfather who was said to be a retired power station worker from Goole, East Yorkshire. He was described by his family as a 'kind and compassionate man'
Lisa Burbidge, 66, a grandmother-of-four from Whickham, Gateshead. Her family said she doted on her grandchildren and described her as the 'most beautiful, amazing, caring and gentle person in our lives'
Carly Lovett, 24, from Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. The fashion blogger, who was on holiday with her fiance Liam, reportedly survived the massacre on the beach only to die when a grenade was thrown into her hotel
Former Birmingham City football player Denis Thwaites, 70, and his wife Elaine, 69, who lived in Blackpool. They had arrived at the resort two days before the attack. Mr Thwaites, a hospital porter, played for Birmingham City from 1962 to 1972 while his wife worked in hospitality
Philip Heathcote, 52, from Felixstowe, Suffolk. His wife Allison, 48, was seriously injured in the attack. The couple had been celebrating their 30th anniversary when they were caught up in the atrocity
Engineer Stephen Mellor, 59, from Bodmin in Cornwall. He was killed as he shielded his wife Cheryl on the beach
Sue Davey, 43, from Staffordshire, and her partner Scott Chalkley, from Derby. The couple worked for Severn Trent Water, who described them as passionate and hugely caring
Claire Windass, 54, from Hull. She was killed while her husband Jim survived the attack
Jim and Ann McQuire, aged 66 and 63, from Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire. Mr McQuire was a captain in the Boys' Brigade, a Christian youth organisation, which said it was 'shocked and deeply saddened' by his death
Stuart Cullen, 52, from Lowestoft in Suffolk. He is believed to have died instantly. His wife was injured but survived
Billy and Lisa Graham, from Bankfoot near Perth in Scotland. The couple were on a trip to the tourist resort of Sousse to celebrate Mrs Graham's 50th birthday
Retired printer John Stocker, 74, and his wife Janet, 63, from Morden, Surrey. Their family said the pair 'were the happiest, most loving couple'
Ray and Angela Fisher, believed to be aged 75 and 69, from Leicester. Their son Adam, from Redhill in Surrey, had not spoken to his parents since they left for their holiday
The Irish victims were: Lorna Carty, a mother-of-two from Robinstown, Co Meath. Bishop of Meath Michael Smith said Mrs Carty was the victim of a 'senseless killing'
Husband and wife Laurence and Martina Hayes, both in their 50s, from Athlone in Co Westmeath. Mr Hayes was a schools transport inspector who had worked for Bus Eireann for the last 20 years.