Long awaited inquest into murder of German backpacker 36 years ago

A pre-inquest review is to begin today (Monday) into the 1988 murder of German backpacker Inga Maria Hauser.

The 18-year-old from Munich was found murdered in remote Ballypatrick Forest outside Ballycastle in Apil 1988, 14 days after she was last seen alive on a ferry from Scotland. Her death remains one of Northern Ireland's most high-profile unsolved murders.

In July 2020 the Public Prosecution Service announced a prosecutorial decision in relation to two people - a 60-year-old man and 57-year-old woman - who had been questioned in connection with the murder of Ms Hauser. The PPS decided not to prosecute the individuals.

In a statement the PPS said the police file was carefully considered by senior prosecutors but it was concluded that there was not a reasonable prospect of conviction for any offence. It added that all decisions around prosecutions are taken by the application of the Test for Prosecution, as set out in the PPS Code for Prosecutors.

The PPS said there was not enough evidence to link the first suspect to the victim and that a lack of clarity around the date of Ms Hauser's death undermined the case against the suspect. Meanwhile, the PPS concluded there was insufficient evidence to establish that the second suspect had possessed and withheld information that would have been of material assistance to the police investigation.

Ms Hauser's mother died in 2019 and her father in 2006, not knowing what happened to their daughter.

Monday's pre-inquest review will begin the first public examination of the facts into the tragic case.

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