‘We do not underestimate pain of Greenvale families’

THE detective leading the investigation into the tragedy which claimed the lives of three teenagers at the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown, has said he understands the families’ frustration over the length of time being taken to carry out inquiries.

Morgan Barnard, Lauren Bullock and Connor Currie died in a crush at the Cookstown venue which was hosting a St Patrick’s night disco, one year ago.

“One year on from the heart-breaking events, our thoughts remain very much with the families of the three teenagers who sadly lost their lives at the St Patrick’s night event, and also with their friends, anyone who witnessed the tragedy unfold and the wider community,” said Detective Chief Inspector Eamonn Corrigan in a statement issued on the first anniversary.

“We do not underestimate that today will be extremely painful and traumatic for the families of Morgan Barnard, Lauren Bullock and Connor Currie and I would like to reassure them that our focus remains firmly on trying to find answers for them. We remain in close, regular contact with these families providing them with updates on the progress of the investigation, which is one of the largest undertaken by the PSNI, we will continue to offer them personal updates at any time of their choosing.

“Our dedicated team of detectives continue to work diligently and this major investigation is advancing. However it will take time as it is complex and involves 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 last St Patrick’s night.

“We have identified more than 1,000 witnesses within this investigation, amongst these are approximately 800 young people who were at the venue on St Patrick’s night. It takes time to cross reference witness statements with CCTV footage, mobile phone videos and phone calls made to the emergency services as well as other evidence gathered. I understand the length of time this takes can be frustrating for the teenagers’ loved ones but it is important we get this right for them.”