Greenvale Hotel owner arrested over Cookstown disco crush

The owner of the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the deaths of three teenagers outside of the property.

The BBC said the 52-year-old and a second man aged 40 were being questioned, after Lauren Bullock, 17, Morgan Barnard, 17, and 16-year-old Connor Currie, died following a crush outside the hotel. Around 400 people were waiting outside of the property to get inside a disco which was taking place there.

According to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), events unfolded shortly before 9.30pm on Sunday 17 March, when the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service received a 999 call with reports of people injured outside the hotel. They declared it a major incident and police, fire service and environmental health then also attended the scene.

Detective chief superintendent Raymond Murray, head of 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.”