Two managers of an Outback hostel that burned down in an arson attack that killed 15 guests, including Irish woman Julie O'Keeffe, could not be charged over the tragedy, a lawyer leading a coroner's inquest said today.
Six Britons, four Australians, two Dutch, one Irish, one Japanese and one South Korean were killed when a fire tore through the overcrowded Palace Backpackers Hostel in Childers, in Queensland state, on June 23, 2000.
Itinerant fruit picker Robert Paul Long was found guilty of starting the blaze.
He was sentenced to life in prison in March 2002 and must serve a minimum of 20 years.
But his lawyer Alan MacSporran, who was appointed to assist the coroner and has questioned witnesses on his behalf, concluded in his final address today that there was not sufficient evidence to charge anyone else over the tragedy.
This week's inquest heard evidence to determine whether charges should be brought over alleged failures by the hostel's owners to provide adequate emergency escape routes.
Yesterday, co-managers John Thomas Dobe and Christian Verdon Atkinson refused to give evidence at the inquest on the basis that their answers could incriminate them.
AP
