Murdered teenager Arlene Arkinson
SDLP Justice Spokesperson Alex Attwood MLA has said that PSNI and NIO attempts to suppress information disclosure in the case of murdered teenager Arlene Arkinson are “incredible and raise enormous questions”.
On Friday it was revealed that a NIO Minister had signed off Public Interest Immunity Certificates on ‘Top Secret’ police documents.
The ‘gagging orders’ prevent the documents from being disclosed to the family and their legal representatives.
Arlene Arkinson, a 15-year-old from Castlederg, vanished in 1994 while out in Bundoran, Co Donegal.
Police believe she is dead.
Arlene was last seen with the convicted child killer and sex beast Robert Howard who died in prison last year.
Mr Attwood said: “The actions of the PSNI in relation to the case of Arlene Arkinson raise very serious issues that need urgent answers.
“This was always a deeply upsetting case that raised a broad range of questions. Today’s developments have only made that situation more acute.
“There are enormous issues for the police and the NIO Minister to address and answer.
“The rush to suppress disclosure as a result of the joint actions taken by the PSNI and NIO is deeply questionable.
“To do so in a case of this character is incredible and raises questions in bag loads.”
In a statement, a Northern Ireland Office spokesperson said: “At the specific request of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, some of the documents submitted to the court in relation to this inquest were subject to careful redactions.
“These related only to material the police judged would compromise their ability to bring murderers, rapists and other serious criminals to justice in future.”