PREVIEW

Liam Payne's friend Roger Nores breaks silence after he's acquitted in death investigation. The former One Direction singer died on 16 October 2024 after falling from a balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the time of his death, the 31-year-old had "traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescribed antidepressant" in his body. Five people were charged in connection with Payne's death in December, but on Wednesday, a panel of judges from Argentina's Court of Appeals announced that the negligent homicide, or manslaughter, charges against Nores and two hotel workers had been dropped. Reacting to the decision, Nores told Rolling Stone in a statement: ”Glad this is finally over. I'm happy I'm now going to be able to travel to the UK and say goodbye to my friend.” In their extensive ruling, obtained by the publication, the judges stated that Nores did not play a role in the British singer "obtaining and consuming alcohol," nor could have done anything to prevent his death. The judges noted that Nores emailed Payne's father Geoff to express his concern for the Strip That Down hitmaker's wellbeing in August 2024. Back in January, Nores sued Geoff Payne for defamation after he claimed in a sworn police declaration that Nores had "full responsibility for Liam's care during this last period when I was not there”. Nores argued that he "never agreed to be and was never the caretaker of Liam” and insisted that he had spoken with the star's father about his concerns.
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