Stardust inquests: Jury reaches majority verdicts to be delivered on Thursday

By Cate McCurry, PA

The jury in the Stardust inquests has reached majority verdicts, the foreman has confirmed.

The verdicts will be delivered on Thursday from 2pm after the coroner deferred the announcement to allow family members of the victims to gather.

On Wednesday afternoon, the foreman told coroner Myra Cullinane that a unanimous verdict could not be reached, and she said she would accept a simple majority of seven.

Forty-eight people died in a fire at the Stardust nightclub in Artane, north Dublin, in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 1981.

The inquests, the longest held in the Republic, have been sitting for almost a year.

The seven women and five men on the jury deliberated for 11 days.

On Wednesday afternoon, the coroner asked whether the foreman thought it was possible they could reach an unanimous verdict, and he replied no.

The coroner then told the jury she could accept a simple majority of seven and allowed the jurors to continue their deliberations.

Fifteen minutes later, the jury returned and confirmed it had majority verdicts.

Ms Cullinane said she would defer the announcement of the verdicts and findings to allow interested persons and family members to make arrangements to attend court or watch online.

She asked the jury to return to court on Thursday, with formalities to get under way at 2pm.

She reminded the jurors not to discuss their deliberations or findings before they return to court, which she said could “undermine” the process and amount of contempt of court.

She thanked them and adjourned for the day.