John Furley denies kicking padlock during Stardust inquest

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

John Furley denied kicking a padlock from an exit door while giving evidence at Dublin District Coroner’s Court on 5 July 2023.

The inquest concerned the Stardust nightclub fire in Dublin, which killed 48 people on 14 February 1981. Furley said he heard people pushing and kicking exit five’s door and felt its bar rise before it opened; he did not recall kicking it himself.

Other witnesses’ accounts described a bouncer kicking the door or padlock, while Furley said those accounts were wrong. The inquest was continuing.