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Government ring-fenced Stardust fire report printable version
06 Feb 2014 filed by editor - General Families of those who died in the 1982 Dublin Stardust fire tragedy say that evidence of a 999 call of a blaze in the roof of the building that was made prior to a later call of a fire in a seating area warrants a new inquiry into the tragedy, which claimed 48 lives.
Representatives of the families accuse the government and justice department of 'ring fencing' a report into the tragedy and denyiing the families a correction to the public record.
They also say that at the time of the original inquiry and investigations, the public were unaware that a key player in the matter had taken money for planning permission favours.
A statement by the families' representatives states: "The Stardust Ballroom went on fire on the 14/2/1981, we know because we have the source of ignition which we will give to the media on the 14/2/2014 at a press conference in the Skylon Hotel. This disaster was avoidable and the state know this too.
“What the state have hidden from these families since the disaster is a group of politicians set up a tribunal of inquiry on the Sunday after the fire, Charles Haughey was Taoiseach and Raymond Burke was Minister for the environment. What the people of Ireland did not know then was these two individuals were fully aware that George Redmond took monies for planning favours. Patrick Butterly told the Keane Tribunal - we know we have his transcript evidence - that he was assured planning permission when he went into the offices of Dublin Corporation and met with Mr George Redmond. We know he did place adverts in the Irish Times newspaper and he got planning approval. The Keane tribunal was correct: from the time the doors opened for business nobody checked for breaches of planning and bye laws.
"It is very hurtful on these families to hear in March 1981 that an Irish times article sent the researcher to check the Dail record (7/4/1981) and there it was. Mr Raymond Burke, Minister of the environment clearly said "it was not unusual for the Justice of a Tribunal....Ronan Keane, his advisors, legal team, Dublin corporation legal team attended this dinner held on a Sunday night in March 1981".
“The Dinner costs 40 pounds per head and 3 Cuban cigars were smoked. What is odd is, this is the meeting where the pro arson hypothesis was decided. The families had no solicitor there to represent them ,confirmed by dail record 18/3/1981. The Taoiseach allows that the Attorney general of Ireland can pick solicitors for the families.
"How do we know pro arson ? "In the Keane report the first witnesses to be called were patrons and staff. No exterior witness were called until the last in June 1981, a week before the fire tests in the U.K. were held. As Justice keane wrote in his report the tribunal had established that the fire was not in the roof space before the seat fire in the west alcove on the ground floor. This serious blunder was to conclude the Keane report as Paragraph 6.119 is seriously flawed by the aid of the floor plan.
See map image showing store room over basement.
“There was no basement and Keane time line excludes a 999 call of a fire in the roof space at an earlier time than the seat fire in the West alcove.
"For 22 years the families wrote to Government and the government always replied "we had a tribunal of inquiry it sat for 122 days heard evidence and had experts. Nothing is wrong with the tribunal.”
"In the spring of 2004 the department of Justice collected a report from myself, Geraldine Foy, author of that report, the sole consent of use for the copy right report allowed this report to be used for further Garda and Forensic investigation. These two assessors wrote back to Government stating "no new evidence". I can state this statement was made in the absence of any proof why the government officials said this.
"In February 2006 RTE prime time air their investigation which established the Keane floor plan was totally incorrect but the program at no stage considers paragraph 6.119 and unpicks the fraud. Again the Government replied that it contained no new evidence.
"In July at the request of the Department of an Taoiseach a submission titled "Nothing But the truth" was sent to the Justice Department for them to assess. The reply in September 2006 was that it contained no new evidence. At no stage did the government publish any proof as to why that statement was given.
"By the 15/11/2006 Mr Greg O'Neill was told by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern that the Justice was saying "No new evidence therefore no new inquiry.”
"By 7pm on the 15/11/2006 I wrote a letter for the families, who sent it in for the Taoiseach office, looking for a picture of the water filled basement displayed on the tribunal map. Looking for items of the first floor level storeroom fuel, not on public record ,that the Keane tribunal knew nothing about because the building on the night of the fire had two storerooms, one on the ground floor and one on the first floor level.
“This is why Keane did not take the roof fire phone call as part of his reports time line because he had no fuel and knew nothing of the existence of this first floor level storeroom which had over 24 gallons of cooking oil. My report of 2004 did contain new evidence, as did the Prime time program, as did Nothing but the Truth document.
"The Justice Department had ring fenced the Keane report and denied these families a correction to the public record. The Coffey/ Gallagher review was offered a month later because as the letter notes "the government is assured this is not new evidence but if it had of been available to the tribunal at the time of the tribunal it would have made no difference with the out come.”
"They all lied to these families, a 999 roof fire call at an earlier time than the seat fire call on public record warrants a new inquiry.
"Who are these officials that advised the government and Dr Sile Willis Forensic science lab. who is a director and told the government "Not new evidence" and found 49 dead people in the Keane report.
"Mr Michael Norton told and wrote to the Government this is not new evidence just a different interpretation of evidence already heard before the tribunal. His motive for saying this was that he could not get the black pipe in the roof space to burn because he claimed the fuel is a floor away or too far away to burn the black pipe yet 38 witnesses and a 999 call have a massive inferno in the first floor level storeroom that is burning away the black pipe.
"The police today have accepted since September 2013 that this is new evidence and their part is being addressed, but the Government fail to tell the truth.”
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