Ombudsman slams police probe into girl’s disappearance

The North's Police Ombudsman has accused the police of failing to properly investigate the disappearance of 15-year-old Arlene Arkinson in 1994.

The teenager, from Castlederg in Co Tyrone, disappeared while on the way home from a disco in Bundoran and is believed to have been murdered, but her remains have never been found.

Robert Howard, a serial sex offender who gave her a lift on the night she went missing, was acquitted of her murder in June 2005.

In a report today, Police Ombudsman Al Hutchinson says the police failed to properly respond to Arlene's disappearance and failed to realise that they were dealing with a potential murder inquiry.

He says it took 46 days for the police to arrest Mr Howard, preventing the seizure of vital evidence that could have helped in the case.