Five PSNI officers are to be investigated by the Police Ombudsman for alleged misconduct following the St Patrick’s night crush which claimed the lives of three young people at the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown.
Morgan Barnard and Lauren Bullock, both 17, and 16-year-old Connor Currie lost their lives in the tragedy.
The PSNI’s response to the incident was referred to the Ombudsman’s office for investigation. Deputy Chief Constable Stephen Martin said the PSNI can confirm that it has been informed by the Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, that it is considering whether five police officers have committed the offence of Misconduct in Public Office.
“We have full confidence in the Office of the Police Ombudsman to complete a thorough and independent investigation and we will co-operate fully throughout it. Until this is complete it would be inappropriate to comment further.
“Our thoughts remain with the families of Morgan Barnard, Connor Currie and Lauren Bullock who tragically died at the event, and the police investigation into the circumstances surrounding their deaths continues,” he said.
No officers have been suspended and the duty status of the officers will be kept under constant review.
Decisions as to whether or not an officer is required to be suspended from duty are guided by the Police (Conduct) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016.
