Mourners attending a funeral in Northern Ireland were left shocked after receiving fines for parking near the church. A funeral car was also penalised, with each person and the vehicle being charged £100.
The incident occurred during the funeral of one of the three teenagers who died in a crowd crush outside a hotel disco in Cookstown, County Tyrone, on St Patrick's Day. Lauren Bullock, 17, Connor Currie, 16, and Morgan Barnard, 17, lost their lives after more than 100 teenagers became trapped in a pile-up outside the Greenvale Hotel.
At Morgan Barnard's funeral in Dungannon, Archbishop Eamon Martin spoke of the fragility of life, saying, 'The shocking events of Sunday last have reminded us that life is very fragile.' Hundreds of mourners, including pupils from local schools, gathered to pay their respects.
Father Aidan McCann described Morgan as 'a vivacious, charismatic and energetic young man who nobody had a bad word to say about.' Similar tributes were paid at the funerals of Lauren and Connor, with guards of honour formed by school friends and sports teammates.
The deaths have prompted a major police investigation, with over 400 young people identified as being present at the scene. Two men, including hotel owner Michael McElhatton, were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter; McElhatton has since been released on bail.
