Liam Payne – Five people charged over singer’s death including pal Roger Nores
Two people have been remanded in custody over Liam Payne’s death and have been told to appear in court within 24 business hours
One Direction star Liam died in October at the age of 31 (
Image: FILE)
Five people have reportedly been charged over Liam Payne’s death.
Among the group are the One Direction singer’s friend Roger Nores. Members of staff at the CasaSur Palermo hotel, including chief receptionist Esteban Grassi and head of security Gilda Martin have allegedly been charged with manslaughter.
Waiter Braian Nahuel Paiz, 24, and hotel employee Ezequiel David Pereyra, 21, have been accused of selling Liam drugs and given 24 hours to return to court, according to local news site Infobae. The crime carries a maximum 15 year prison sentence in Argentina.
Liam’s pal Roger Nores, who said he left the hotel around an hour before the musician fell to his death, has been reportedly charged with negligent homicide and been banned from leaving the country.
Tragic pop star Liam died aged 31 on October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. A post-mortem examination found that the singer died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage.”
Roger Nores has shared his memories of the day the One Direction star died (
Image:
Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Earlier this month it was reported that Roger Nores had refused to answer questions from an investigating judge probing the singer’s death. Nores has vehemently denied claims that he abandoned his friend before he plunged from his balcony after reports he was acting ‘erratically’ in the hotel lobby.
Hotel workers made two 911 phone calls before Liam was found dead. A caller appearing to be the chief receptionist said they had a guest who had taken “too many drugs and alcohol”, and was “trashing the entire room”, before the line cut out. In a second call, the same caller warned the guest’s life “may be in danger” as the room had a balcony, and asked the operator to send someone “urgently”.
One of the final photographs of Liam Payne alive at the the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires (
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Speaking in a TMZ documentary investigating Liam’s death and final hours that aired earlier this month, Mr Nores said his friend was ‘in good spirits and perfectly balanced’ the day he died.
In a statement prior to the documentary’s release, he said: “I never abandoned Liam, I went to his hotel three times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened. There were over 15 people at the hotel lobby chatting and joking with him when I left. I could have never imagined something like this would happen.”
He went on to describe Liam as his ‘very dear friend.’
The latest update comes after Liam’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy spoke about her grief and sadness on her first Christmas without him.
Handout photo released by the Buenos Aires Police showing a candle and traces of white powder on a table of the hotel room where Liam Payne was staying (
Image:
Buenos Aires Police/AFP via Gett)
In an Instagram Story post on Christmas Eve, Cassidy advised others to “be gentle” with those around them during the Christmas period and sent her love to those “carrying grief”.
The message read: “As the holidays are here, I realise it is a time for happiness and joy, but it is also a time of sadness and grief for so many.
“Be gentle with those around you this time of year, as the holidays can feel different for everyone.” It continued: “Sending all my love to those carrying grief this holiday. I hope the seasons bring you comfort and peace. Wishing everyone a love-filled and healthy holiday season this year.”
Cassidy joined Payne’s family and One Direction bandmates last month at a private funeral in Buckinghamshire.
The CasaSur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires, where Liam Payne fell to his death (
Image:
James Breeden for the Mirror)Don’t Miss
Before the funeral, prosecutors in Argentina ruled out third party involvement and “self-harm” in Payne’s death, according to a forensic psychiatric report. “Although other medical background information from the victim’s clinical history must still be analysed, the phenomenon of the lack of defence or self-preservation reflex in the fall, together with other relevant data from his consumption, allow us to conclude that Liam Payne was not fully conscious or was experiencing a state of noticeable decrease or loss of consciousness at the time of the fall,” prosecutors said in a translated statement.
The office also said it had completed a detailed analysis of more than 800 hours of video footage from security cameras and obtained several dozen testimonies from hotel staff, family members, friends and medical professionals. While Nine raids were ordered on properties in Buenos Aires and some of Liam’s devices were analysed for evidence.
Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy attends the funeral of Liam Payne on November 20 (
Image:
Getty Images)
The musician’s body was handed over to his father, Geoff Payne following the examination. Prosecutors added that “exhaustive and meticulous measures were taken to clarify the circumstances” around the former One Direction singer’s death.
Payne died from multiple injuries as well as internal and external bleeding caused by the fall, a post-mortem examination said. His body was found in the hotel’s internal courtyard.
After his death, police found substances in his hotel room, and damaged objects and furniture, according to the public prosecutor’s office.
Fans from across the globe held vigils and music stars paid tribute after Payne died on October 16.
In a group statement, his former bandmates: Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson, said they were “completely devastated”, and will miss the singer “terribly”.
While Simon Cowell said he was “truly devastated” in an Instagram post reacting to news of Payne’s death, adding: “Every tear I have shed is a memory of you.”
