No charges for nightclub owner where two students from London died in crush

 
Tragedy: Nabila Nanfuka with her best friend Birungi Nakiwala
Alexandra Rucki15 October 2014

A nightclub owner will not face criminal charges over the deaths of two revellers crushed in a rush to get on coaches at the end of a party.

Nabila Nanfuka, 22, of Neasden, and Laurene-Danielle Jackson, 19, of Wembley, were both killed as crowds surged at the Lava & Ignite nightclub, Northampton, in October 2011.

The two women were attending the Wickedest Wickedest club night when an announcement was apparently made that coaches were leaving, and that revellers could be left behind, sparking a rush for the exits.

In the stampede, a fire alarm also went off further provoking the crowd surge, it was reported.

'Insufficient evidence': the CPS said it was not possible to launch a successful prosecution (Picture: Damien Mcfadden)

An investigation was launched by Northamptonshire Police and Health and Safety officers to assess whether the club’s general manager caused an offence of gross negligence manslaughter.

But a spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service today said there was “insufficient evidence” to launch a successful prosecution.

Dan Jones, of the CPS special crime division, said: “After carefully examining the evidence in this case, including accounts from eye witnesses, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors there is not a realistic prospect of conviction for any of the charges considered.”

Fatal incident: people getting crushed on the stairway at the Lava & Ignite nightclub (Picture: Geoffrey Robinson/REX)

A report found there were more door staff than usual working at the club and they closed the doors when the venue reached full capacity.

The case has now been passed to the Coroner’s Court and an inquest date will be set in due course.

Mr Jones added: “The death of these two young women on a night out with friends is a real tragedy and our thoughts remain with the families of Nabila and Dani. We have written to them to explain our decision in detail and have offered to meet with them to discuss this matter should they so wish.”

Miss Nanfuka, a student at the University of Northampton, was attending the event with London school friends who travelled from their universities to get ready at her house.

Kingston University student Miss Jackson died at Leicester Glenfield Hospital three weeks after the event.

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