Three 'charged' in connection with death of One Direction star Liam Payne

Three people have reportedly been charged in connection with the death of One Direction star Liam Payne, according to prosecutors in Argentina.

The 31-year-old pop star, who rose to fame in the X Factor boyband, died after he fell from a third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur Hotel where he had been staying in Buenos Aires on on October 16.

The three were arrested and have reportedly since been charged with 'abandonment of a person followed by death' and the supply and facilitation of narcotics in connection with the death of Payne.

READ MORE Gary Neville and Masterchef star's restaurant goes into liquidation with huge tax bill

According to a translation of the statement, prosecutors said 'exhaustive and meticulous measures were taken to clarify the circumstances' around the former One Direction singer’s death.

While widespread reports state three people have been charged with offences linked to Liam Payne's death, under the Argentine judicial system it is believed they have instead been arrested and placed under official suspicion.

The statement said: “Based on the evidence gathered and after analysing the various bodies of proceedings and numerous documentary annexes and the background of the case, prosecutor Andres Esteban Madrea formally charged three people, requesting their questioning and arrest in a 180-page ruling presented last Friday to Judge Bruniard.”

Prosecutors said one of the accused was accompanying the singer on a daily basis in Argentina, while another was an employee at the hotel where Payne was staying. The third person allegedly supplied drugs.

The statement said officials in Argentina had carried out a forensic analysis of Payne’s phone, including his call and message history, and also reviewed 800 hours of video footage from security cameras at the hotel and on nearby roads.

Nine raids have also been ordered on properties in Buenos Aires and the investigation continues with some of Payne’s devices still being analysed.

A statement added "Liam Payne was not fully conscious or was experiencing a state of noticeable decrease or loss of consciousness at the time of the fall".

According to the post-mortem examination, Payne died from multiple injuries as well as internal and external bleeding caused by the fall. His body was found in the hotel’s internal courtyard.

After Payne’s death, police found substances in his hotel room, and destroyed objects and furniture, according to the public prosecutor’s office.