Courts / Dublin / Report

'Public Revelation': High Court battles over the Stardust Inquests

Summary

The High Court and coroner's court have examined competing legal arguments regarding the scope of verdicts available to the jury in the resumed inquest into the 48 deaths at the Stardust nightclub fire. The new inquests, which commenced in April 2023 at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, followed a 2019 direction by the then Attorney General that fresh proceedings were necessary due to insufficient examination of the fire's circumstances at the original 1982 inquiry. Former Stardust manager Eamon Butterly challenged the coroner's decision to permit a potential unlawful killing verdict, arguing it would identify him as subject to censure. In November 2022, Mr Justice Charles Meenan rejected this challenge, confirming such a verdict could lawfully be available provided no individual remained identifiable as censurable. Following the conclusion of evidence, Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane received further submissions from interested parties. She ultimately ruled that an unlawful killing verdict could be placed before the jury, applying a beyond-reasonable-doubt standard of proof. The available verdicts were determined as accidental death, misadventure, unlawful killing, narrative, and open verdict.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 'Public Revelation': High Court battles over the Stardust Inquests. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• April 25 Other
• September 2019 Incident
• March 1982 Hearing Or Sentence
• November 2022 Other
• March 22 Hearing Or Sentence
• March 15 Other
• March 27 Hearing Or Sentence
• March 28 Hearing Or Sentence
• March 2024 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2024-04-18 Publication

Why: Dr Cullinane said she decided to commence proceedings with the pen portraits because it allowed the families to "publicly commemorate those who died" and to remind the jury that the 48 young people "are at the heart of this inquest". CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial

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Read the original CNI report