Liam Payne's pal breaks silence and denies 'abandoning him' in hours before his death

Liam Payne's close friend Rogelio 'Roger' Nores has refuted claims that he left the former One Direction member ahead of his tragic passing. Roger has allegedly countered allegations that police raided his residence in his home city of Buenos Aires and asserts that he is not under suspicion in the investigation.

Yet, three individuals have been apprehended in connection to the singer's death and are currently being investigated in Argentina. It is suspected that one of the detainees is a "friend" of the deceased musician, though their identity remains undisclosed.

Liam died after a fall from a third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires last month, aged 31. According to the Argentine public prosecutor's office, one of the individuals charged had been with Liam and is accused of "abandonment of a person followed by death" an offence that could result in up to 15 years of imprisonment.

Roger told Mail Online: "I never abandoned Liam, I went to his hotel three times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened.

"There were over 15 people at the hotel lobby chatting and joking with him when I left. I could have never imagined something like this would happen... I'm really heart-broken with this tragedy, and I've been missing my friend every day."

An employee at the hotel where the British singer was staying, along with a third individual, have been charged with supplying drugs. Prosecutors have also dismissed any third-party involvement or "self-harm" in Liam's death, as per a forensic psychiatric report, reports the Mirror.

The prosecutors stated: "Although other medical background information from the victim's clinical history must still be analysed, the phenomenon of the lack of defence or self-preservation reflex in the fall, together with other relevant data from his consumption, allow us to conclude that Liam Payne was not fully conscious or was experiencing a state of noticeable decrease or loss of consciousness at the time of the fall."

Liam's body was returned to his home city of Wolverhampton, West Midlands earlier this week for his funeral, believed to be held on Friday. A post-mortem examination revealed he died from multiple injuries and internal and external bleeding caused by the fall.

His body was discovered in the hotel's internal courtyard. Meanwhile, at least nine raids have been conducted on properties in Buenos Aires and some of Liam's devices are still under analysis, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors noted that "exhaustive and meticulous measures were taken to clarify the circumstances" surrounding the death of the ex-One Direction member. Following the incident on Wednesday, October 16, fans worldwide held vigils while music celebrities offered heartfelt tributes.