Inquest into 2006 murder of Dennis Donaldson adjourned for the 14th time

The Denis Donaldson inquest was told today that criminal inquiries have now extended to another police force’s juristiction..
Garda Supt Michael Finan said that there had been “a recent significant development” in the investigation which had travelled outside the state since the last inquest hearing on March 27.
Assistance requests were being prepared for another police force as part of the inverstigation into the death of the self confessed Special Branch spy in Donegal eight years ago.
Superintendent Finan told a renewed inquest hearing in Letterkenny – the 14th in a series since 2007 – that there had been 210 additional investigation tasks into the murder of Donaldson, 322 people had made statements and 906 lines of inquiry had been generated. He said 26 lines of inquiry were still active.
Supt Finan was seeking a further, long, adjournment of the inquest into the death of Donaldson in a remote cottage outside Glenties in April 2006.
Donaldson family solicitor Ciaran Shiels, who snubbed the hearing in March because of strong objections to continuing investigative delays, was again absent today.
He sent Coroner Dr Denis McCauley a letter that as the family knew the gardai were seeking a further delay there was no point attending, without intending any discourtesy to the inquest.
Dr McCauley said he had made it clear at the last hearing that, like the Donaldson family, he was interested in getting finality, but on hearing of advances in the Garda criminal investigation today he was now prepared to further adjourn the inquest proceedings until next February 18.