Northern Ireland

Police investigating hotel crush deaths submit file to prosecutors

Connor Currie (16), Lauren Bullock (17) and Morgan Barnard (17) died during a crush outside the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown
Connor Currie (16), Lauren Bullock (17) and Morgan Barnard (17) died during a crush outside the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown Connor Currie (16), Lauren Bullock (17) and Morgan Barnard (17) died during a crush outside the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown

Police investigating the deaths of three teenagers in a crush outside a St Patrick’s Day disco have submitted an interim file of evidence to prosecutors.

Lauren Bullock, 17, Morgan Barnard, 17, and 16-year-old Connor Currie died in the incident outside the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown, Co Tyrone, last year.

Detective Superintendent Richard Campbell, from the PSNI’s major investigation team, said the file contained a “substantial” amount of material.

“This is a significant milestone and over the coming months we will be submitting further material for inclusion,” he said.

“Our focus remains firmly on trying to find answers for the grieving families of the three teenagers and we remain in close, regular contact with them to provide updates on the progress of the investigation, including the submission of the interim file.”

Mr Campbell added: “Our dedicated team of detectives are continuing to work to advance this major investigation, which is one of the largest undertaken by the PSNI.

“It is complex and there are a significant number of witnesses and substantial amounts of evidence to be assessed and progressed. However, we remain absolutely committed to building up an accurate picture of what happened on St Patrick’s night in 2019.

“Our thoughts remain very much with the families of the three teenagers and also with their friends, anyone who witnessed the tragedy unfold and the wider community.”

Separate to the police investigation, the Police Ombudsman is investigating the actions of officers involved in the response to the fatal incident.