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Funerals of teenagers who died in Co Tyrone tragedy to take place on Friday

The funerals of the three teenagers who died in Co Tyrone will take place on Friday. 17-year-old ...
Jack Quann
Jack Quann

07.12 20 Mar 2019


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Funerals of teenagers who died...

Funerals of teenagers who died in Co Tyrone tragedy to take place on Friday

Jack Quann
Jack Quann

07.12 20 Mar 2019


Share this article


The funerals of the three teenagers who died in Co Tyrone will take place on Friday.

17-year-old Lauren Bullock, 16-year-old Connor Currie and 17-year-old Morgan Barnard died in an apparent crush outside the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown on Sunday night.

Their funeral masses will be held at churches in Co Tyrone on Friday morning and afternoon.

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Meanwhile, police in the North have 'de-arrested' a 52-year-old man, who was arrested earlier today on suspicion of possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply.

He was originally arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the deaths of the three teenagers.

The man was 'further arrested' earlier today after police said they seized a quantity of suspected class A drugs.

However, following an examination of the package found during the search of a house in Moneymore, he's now been de-arrested.

Police said they'd examined a bag containing a white powdery substance and pieces of tin foil.

However, a forensic test showed it was an 'innocent substance'.

In a statement clarifying today's arrest, the PSNI said: “The PSNI would like to make it clear that there is no suspicion of any crime relating to misuse of drugs on behalf of the person who still remains in custody.

“The actions taken were in good faith and in line with procedure. We will continue to carry out a rigorous investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of these three young people and we are deeply grateful for the huge assistance we are receiving from the community and we hope that people will continue to come forward and assist us with this enquiry.”

The de-arrested man and another 40-year-old man remain in custody on suspicion of manslaughter following their arrests yesterday.

Tragedy

Police say up to 400 people were in a queue outside the hotel when the incident happened.

Yesterday, they said there could easily have been more deaths in the tragedy.

PSNI detectives are continuing to examine CCTV footage to establish what happened and Detective Chief Superintendent Raymond Murray said they have also been speaking to witnesses over the past few days.

"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," he said.

"Arrangements have been made to speak to many more over the coming days."

He said there is still a "significant number of people" who were there in the queue that police are asking to come forward.

Crowds

The PSNI has said initial CCTV viewing would lead them to estimate that as many as 400 people were in the queue or car park at that time.

Detective Chief Superintendent Murray added: "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."

Additional reporting from Michael Staines

Main image: Students from Holy Trinity College leave floral tributes outside the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown, Co Tyrone | Image: Liam McBurney/PA Wire/PA Images


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Co Tyrone Connor Currie Cookstown Greenvale Hotel Lauren Bullock Morgan Barnard PSNI St Patrick's Night

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