The outgoing chief constable of the PSNI George Hamilton has apologised to the parents of one of the teenagers killed in the Cookstown disco tragedy.
Mr Hamilton said he expressed his 'deep regret' if any comment he's made caused the family of 17-year-old Morgan Barnard any further distress.
Morgan, along with Lauren Bullock and Connor Currie, died following a crush at the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown, Co Tyrone on St Patrick's Day.
In a statement today, George Hamilton said he met with Morgan's parents this afternoon.
He said: “I expressed my deep regret if any comment that I have made in relation to the incident has caused the family any further distress. That was never my intention and I have apologised.
"No public commentary by me or any police officer will detract from the independent investigation being conducted into the initial PSNI response by the Police Ombudsman’s office."
It had previously been confirmed that the initial police response to the disco tragedy is being scrutinised by the North's Police Ombudsman.
The PSNI has said the first officers arrived at the hotel grounds shortly after receiving a 999 report.
The force added that following an initial assessment the officers made attempts to find out more about what was happening, before withdrawing to await further police support.
Officers then moved in with the first ambulance arrived at the scene.
Chief constable's comments
Today's meeting came in the wake of Mr Hamilton's remarks to reporters last month.
He praised officers who reported to the incident, saying: "I think they responded in good faith in very difficult circumstances.
“Large numbers of people... lots of uncertainty... perhaps some chaos. So I think those officers were brave and acted in good faith.
"But I do think when we objectively look at the time of arrival and withdrawal and the details of all of that, then there are some questions to answer."
Morgan Barnard's parents James Bradley and Maria Barnard had told the Irish News they were asking the outgoing PSNI chief to apologise.
Mr Bradley told the newspaper: “Not only do we seek a retraction of the comments, but it is also imperative that an independent investigation is conducted so as to ensure that the truth about the events at Cookstown is known to the public."
