Morgan Barnard tragically died during crush at hotel
A SENIOR PSNI detective has called on young people who were queuing to get into a St Patrick’s Night disco which led to the deaths of three teenagers during a crush at a hotel has urged them to come forward.
And Detective Chief Supt Raymond Murray said today those who may been underage and were trying to get into the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown are not in trouble and his team of investigators are only trying to establish the full facts of what happened on Sunday, March 17.
DCS Murray said initial inquiries by detectives from the PSNI’s Major Investigation Team has established that around 400 young people had turned up for the disco.
The head of the Serious Crime Branch, said: “It is now just over 24 hours since we launched our investigation into the tragedy that unfolded at the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown on Sunday night.
“I want to extend my heartfelt sympathies to the families of the three teenagers who so sadly lost their lives – 16-year-old Connor Currie from the Dungannon area, 17-year-old Lauren Bullock from the Donaghmore area and 17-year-old Morgan Barnard also from the Dungannon area.
“It is difficult to appreciate the level of grief these families must be feeling as Sunday turned into their worst nightmare.
“Over a day into our investigation I can tell you we have already traced the identities of over 160 witnesses and have already spoken to a number of young people who were in the queue at the Greenvale Hotel on Sunday night.
“Arrangements have been made to speak to many more over the coming days.
“I want to thank everyone who has spoken with us so far, however, there is still a significant number of people who were there that night, in the queue, and I need them to come forward to speak to police so we can understand what happened. Initial CCTV viewing would lead us to estimate that perhaps as many as 400 people were in the queue or car park at that time.
Lauren Bullock (17) tragically lost her life during crush outside hotel on St Patrick’s night
“A number of parents have indicated they are concerned that their children, who may have been underage, were trying to enter a licensed premises.
“I want to reassure you, the focus of our investigation is not the age of people who were at the event – it is about trying to find answers for the families of the three teenagers who tragically died – we need to know what you saw so the heartbroken families of Connor, Lauren and Morgan know what happened to their children.
“I would urge parents to talk with your children, support them and encourage them to come forward and tell their story to police so we can get an accurate picture of events that night.
“Talk to your children, reassure them – we know they may be scared – but again I can assure you we are only interested in establishing what happened. Their account of events on Sunday night could be crucial to establishing how Connor, Lauren and Morgan died.
“There are a number of ways you can talk to us.
“Detectives can be contacted at the dedicated incident room at Dungannon police station by calling 101, extension 53055.
“You can visit the dedicated room at the Burnavon Arts Centre in Cookstown – this is open from 10am this morning (Tuesday 19th March)
Anyone with any information, images or footage can also pass it to police via the following link: https://mipp.police.uk/
