Coroner adjourns Donaldson inquest

A coroner in Donegal today adjourned the inquest into the death of former senior republican Denis Donaldson until next year.

Mr Donaldson was shot in a remote cottage outside Glenties, Co. Donegal, in April 2006. He admitted less than five months earlier that he had been a British spy for 20 years.

Gardaí had sought an adjournment of another year of the inquest, which had already been put back six months, on the basis that a criminal investigation was active.

At the resumed Letterkenny hearing today, coroner Dr Denis McCauley was told the State was in the same position it was six months ago in requiring an adjournment to facilitate that investigation.

He adjourned the matter until February 5th, 2009.