Stardust families to get report
The Government-commissioned report by barrister Paul Coffey examines the families’ case for a new public inquiry into the inferno which claimed the lives of 48 young people and injured more than 200 at a Valentine’s night disco in 1981.
Stardust Victims’ Committee spokeswoman Antoinette Keegan, who lost two sisters in the blaze, said they were hopeful the report would back the families’ call.
The original tribunal of inquiry in 1981 concluded the cause of the fire was probably arson with the most likely explanation being that someone set fire to the seating in the main ballroom, although it also conceded there was no evidence that this was the case.
The families rejected those findings and campaigned repeatedly for a fresh inquiry, intensifying their campaign in the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the tragedy in 2006.
They since had specialist fire investigators review the case and produced evidence that the fire started in the roof space, was due to an electrical overload and spread quickly because highly flammable chemicals were stored in an adjacent area. This new evidence was presented to Mr Coffey in private hearings last autumn.
The families expressed anger in recent weeks after discovering that Mr Coffey’s report and been completed and submitted to Government before Christmas without their knowledge.
They were also furious when told by officials that the report was being sent to the attorney general for further legal advice and there was no way of saying when it would be published.
Cabinet discussed the matter at a meeting this week, however, and agreed the report should be released. “We’re glad the wait will soon be over but we won’t know how we feel until we see what the report says. We’ve been let down so many times,” said Ms Keegan.
Families and their legal representatives are to receive the report this afternoon and plan to hold a press conference around teatime to give their initial reaction.
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