Two Held On Suspicion Of Manslaughter After Hotel Crush

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter by detectives investigating the deaths of three teenagers in a crush at the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown.

The teens- 16-year-old Connor Currie, 17-year-old Morgan Barnard and 17-year-old Lauren Bullock- died during the incident which occurred when hundreds of young people tried to make their way into the venue for a St Patrick's Day disco.

The suspects, aged 52 and 40, remain in custody.

Officers are examining CCTV footage of the incident and have appealed for any mobile phone footage or photographs of the crush to be passed onto investigators. Anyone in possession of such material is asked not to submit it online, but to upload it to the Major Incident Public Portal.

After consulting with the Public Prosecution Service, Detective Chief Superintendent Raymond Murray said the PSNI is not concerned about the age of anyone trying to enter the licensed premises, but would urge any witnesses to come forward and help detectives determine what happened.

"We need to know what you saw so the heartbroken families of Connor, Lauren and Morgan know what happened to their children," he said.

The Education Authority has deployed a critical incident team to five schools in the area to support pupils who were involved in the crush. Chairperson Sharon O'Connor said: "On behalf of EA board members and staff I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the families of the bereaved and injured, and to all the young people who witnessed the tragic events at the Greenvale Hotel on Sunday 17 March.

"The EA critical incident team currently has staff working in five schools and has provided support and advice to a further seven schools in the area. The EA Youth Service has opened its facilities at Ógras Youth Club, Coalisland, Dungannon Youth Resource Centre and Cookstown Youth Resource Centre in order for young people affected by the tragedy to engage with youth workers."



(JG/CM)