Arlene Arkinson dig set to continue in Donegal forest

A search for the remains of Co Tyrone teenager Arlene Arkinson, who was last seen 30 years ago, will continue on Wednesday.

The schoolgirl went missing in August 1994 after a night out in Co Donegal. Her body has never been found, despite extensive searches.

It is understood a fresh search is taking place at Ballybobaneen Forest in the Glenfin area. Gardai have cordoned off parts of the remote area in the last few days, to allow for a specialist garda search team and diggers into the area.

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This is the second garda search for the remains of the schoolgirl in Donegal this year. Gardai said an earlier search took place in the Castlefin area earlier this year.

Convicted child killer Robert Howard was found responsible, on the balance of probabilities, for the death of the 15-year-old following an inquest in 2021.

He had been out on bail at the time of Arlene’s disappearance and was the last person seen with the teenager. Howard, originally from Co Laois, had been charged with her murder in 2002, but acquitted in 2005.

He died in prison in England in 2015 while serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of 14-year-old Hannah Williams from London.

Last month, the Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long was urged to reconsider a decision not to call a public inquiry into the case of the missing Castlederg girl.

Miss Arkinson’s sister Kathleen said that the “whole system let Arlene down”.

The family’s solicitor, Des Doherty, urged Ms Long to reconsider the decision not to call a public inquiry.

He said any public inquiry should focus on the activities of Howard “more closely”, but also look at the “legal system in this jurisdiction and how the law and the police behaved in relation to this case and how it was dealt with”.

“If a public inquiry is the only way to keep their case in the public eye, then so be it,” he told the BBC.

“I do not see any other legal option (other than a public inquiry) that is available to the family at this point. I think new information will come to light.”

However, Ms Long said she took the decision not to call a public inquiry into the case after concluding there were not sufficient grounds.

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