Arlene Arkinson’s sister loses claim for damages for unlawful detention

The sister of missing Castlederg teenager Arlene Arkinson has lost her claim for damages for the unlawful detention by the then RUC during a three day search operation of her home in April 1996.
The 15 year old disappeared in 1994 after attending a disco in Bundoran.
She was last seen in the company of convicted child killer Robert Howard, who died in prison in 2015.
Stephen Walsh, the father of Ms. Arkinson’s four children also lost his claim for unlawful detention and a further claim for his unlawful arrest on suspicion of the murder of Arlene Arkinson.
In her reserved judgement at the County Court in Derry, Judge Elizabeth McCaffrey said the background to both claims was the murder of Arlene Arkinson on August 14, 1994 after the 15 year old had returned from a nightclub in Bundoran, Co. Donegal.
When the claims for damages was heard last December, a now retired police officer told Judge McCaffrey that detectives investigating the teenager’s disappearance and murder received information from a reliable source in April 1996 which necessitated the search of the plaintiffs’ home and that his particular knowledge was that Mr Walsh was complicit in the murder of Arlene Arkinson and that the body had been concealed in the rear garden.
Judge McCaffrey said the source of the information, who was described as being reliable by, had stated that Arlene Arkinson died after she was either pushed or fell down the stairs during an argument after her sister Kathleen had reportedly found her in bed with Mr Walsh.
She said the fact relatives of the plaintiffs and their solicitor were able to visit them in their home during the operation undermined their claims that they had been illegally detained against their will and said police were also justified in questioning Mr. Walsh on suspicion of murder, even though he was later released without charge.
Kathleen Arkinson was awarded £1,500 plus interest for damages caused to her home at 26 Drumnabey Park, Castlederg by police officers searching for her missing sister’s body with a similar sum plus interest also awarded to Stephen Walsh.