Two men charged in Liam Payne’s death set to appeal—report
Two of the five men who are being sued in connection to Liam Payne’s death are reportedly set to appeal the charges against them.
According to a report by The Mirror US, the suspects, who allegedly supplied illegal drugs to the former One Direction member before his fatal fall, are seeking to overturn Judge Laura Bruniard’s decision to formally charge them in the case.
If convicted, the two men—who are currently in jail ahead of their trial—may face up to 15 years in prison. As per the prosecutor’s office, they are required to pay a provision of about $5,000 (PhP293,000) or the same amount in assets will be seized, according to an ABC News report.
The appeal hearing will take place on Feb. 10 at the National Criminal and Correctional Court in Buenos Aires.
This comes after the late singer's friend, Roger Nores, who is facing legal action over the former's passing, sued Liam's dad Geoff for defamation. He claimed that Geoff made sworn statements about him that were “false, contained material omissions, and many parts were not based on personal knowledge."
He added that the sworn statements shared in the media caused him "injury" and damages worth over $10 million (PhP585 million). Roger also noted his friendship with Liam was misrepresented, noting he "did not have a legal duty to Liam."
He insisted that they were just “mutual dear friends."
Liam, who rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction, fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires in October. He was 31. His room was found destroyed, with broken objects and furniture, along with alcohol and suspected drugs.
According to a Jan. 8 report by BBC, Liam's official cause of death was polytrauma.
Five people have been indicted in Argentina over Liam's death. Three of them were charged with manslaughter, while the other two were charged with supplying him with illegal drugs.
