Courts / Dublin / Report

Stardust doorman tells inquest he did not kick padlock off door

Summary

During the inquest into the Stardust nightclub fire, former doorman John Furley testified that he did not kick the padlock off exit door five. He described seeing smoke and fire, hearing people push and kick the door, and feeling the bar rise after two attempts. Furley said he had no recollection of kicking the door and that the push bars may have been faulty. He denied seeing a chain or lock on the door and said he did not see any staff at exit five. Witnesses had claimed a bouncer had kicked the padlock, but Furley insisted they were wrong. He also stated he had never seen anyone let friends in for free through an exit door and that the manager did not like being bested. The inquest continues tomorrow.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Stardust doorman tells inquest he did not kick padlock off door. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• February 14, 1981 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2023-07-05 Publication

Why: A former Stardust doorman has told an inquest that witnesses were "wrong" in their statements about seeing a person who matched his description kicking the padlock off an exit door in order to open it on the night of the fire. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial

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Read the original CNI report