Murdered teenager Arlene Arkinson
THE inquest into the murder of Castlederg teenager Arlene Arkinson is due to start today.
The 15-year-old teenager went missing in 1994 after attending a school disco in Donegal.
Arlene was last seen in a car driven by convicted killer Robert Howard, who was acquitted of her murder in 2005.
He died in prison last year aged 71.
The inquest has been engulfed in controversy after the NIO signed off a request from the PSNI over top secret documents in the case last Friday.
Junior NIO Minister Ben Wallace approved a Public Interest Immunity (PII) application to withhold documents linked to the case.
The details were revealed at a preliminary hearing into the long-delayed inquest at Belfast’s Laganside Court complex on Friday.
Coroner Brian Sherrard will make the final decision today on whether the PPI application will be granted.
Legal arguments will be heard this morning about the PPI application behind closed doors.
Arlene’s sister, Kathleen, is due to give a personal statement to the hearing, which is being heard without a jury.
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