Topics: Celebrity, UK News, News, Crime, Liam Payne
Five people have now been charged in Argentina in connection with the death of One Direction singer Liam Payne, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Payne died aged 31 earlier this year (16 October) after falling from a third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The hotel’s manager, receptionist, and Payne’s friend have been charged with manslaughter, while a hotel employee and waiter have been charged with supplying cocaine, PA reports.
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According to a statement released by the prosecutor's office, Judge Laura Bruniard already took the decision to proceed to the next stage late last week on Friday (27 December).
She also outlined that she did not think that Payne's friend, the hotel manager, and the receptionist 'had planned or wanted the death of Payne' but that their actions had created a 'risk' to his life, BBC reports.
If found guilty, those three individuals could face sentences of between one and five years in prison.
The sentence for supplying drugs is more severe and ranges between four and 15 years in jail.
The news of Payne's untimely death shocked the world, due in part to his status as a former member of One Direction which also included Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson.
Payne's fellow band members released a joint statement following his death in which they said: "We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing… For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us.
"We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam."
Payne left behind a seven-year-old son, Bear, who he shared with his former partner, Cheryl Cole.
She also released a statement on social media following his passing, writing: "As I try to navigate this earth-shattering event, and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time, I’d like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being.
"Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7-year-old son.
"A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.
"What is troubling my spirit the most is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reports and media exploitation we have seen in the past two days.
"It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future."
LADbible Group has contacted International Criminal Police Organization and Argentina IPA for comment.
