Stardust Fire - 2009 Change in Verdict

2009 Change in Verdict

Following the above protests the Government commissioned an Independent Examination by Mr. Paul Coffey SC of the case submitted by the Stardust Victims Committee for a Reopened Inquiry into the Stardust Fire Disaster.

Due to the passage of time and lack of physical evidence it stated that it would not be in the public interest to re-open the Public Inquiry but that the public record should be altered to reflect paragraph 6.167 of the original inquiry- “The cause of fire is not known and may never be known. There is no evidence of an accidental origin: and equally no evidence that the fire was started deliberately” instead of that of arson (which led to the Butterly's compensation)

Following its publication, the Dáil voted on the evening of 3 February 2009 to acknowledge that the arson finding was hypothetical and that none of those present at the Stardust nightclub can be held responsible for the blaze. This led to a correction of the public record and the original arson conclusion was removed as the cause due to there being no evidence to suggest that the fire was started maliciously.

Despite the clear breaches of fire safety regulations, the owners never faced charges and have never apologized.