Directors of Paceville’s Plus One club are set to be arraigned in the coming days in the wake of the damning conclusions of an inquiry into the collapse of a glass banister last November which left dozens injured.

Justice Minister Owen Bonnici made this announcement yesterday when unveiling the findings of an investigation into this incident, led by Magistrate Doreen Clarke.

The case had fuelled controversy as it had also uncovered the lax controls over regulations which ban the admission of underage people inside entertainment clubs. The inquiry established that at the time of the incident there were 34 underage persons at the club, some of whom were consuming alcohol.

The investigation established that the stampede had been triggered by a bouncer who urged all those inside to head for the exit after an 18-year-old used pepper spray during a fight.

However, it noted that the security officer acted “unilaterally” and failed to alert his colleagues outside, who blocked the exit to protect some of the panic-stricken clubbers who had fallen to the ground while they were dashing down the stairs.

The magistrate also flagged a series of shortcomings related to health and safety issues, the illegal employment of its staff, smoking in prohibited areas, and lax controls on underage alcohol consumption.

It was also established that the incident could “could have been easily avoided” had “the right provisions been taken in the construction of the protective barrier for the staircase leading to the main entrance”.