Courts / Dublin / Report

Stardust inquest hears of 'trick' of making doors appear locked

Summary

During the Stardust inquest, former doorman Francis Kenny, aged 22 at the time of the 1981 fire, testified that staff were instructed to unlock exit doors and then loop a chain over the bars to make them appear locked. He claimed no safety or fire training was received and that there were insufficient doormen to cover all exits, leading to many doors being chained after unlocking. Kenny confirmed that a photograph of a chained exit door, not taken on the night of the fire, represented the practice. He stated that the chain did not prevent the door from opening, but he had never attempted to open a chained door. Kenny also noted that door keys were kept in the cash office and he was unaware of duplicate keys. The inquest continues tomorrow.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Stardust inquest hears of 'trick' of making doors appear locked. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• February 14, 1981 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2023-06-15 Publication

Why: Francis Kenny, who was 22 at the time of the fire that killed 48 people when it swept through the nightclub in the early hours of February 14, 1981, agreed with a barrister acting on behalf of certain families of the victims that a person would reasonably assume they needed to check another exit because one with a chain was locked. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial

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Read the original CNI report