An inquest was told today by the solicitor for the family murdered Sinn Féin official Denis Donaldson that he was in touch with PSNI handler from his home in Donegal shortly before he was killed.
Donaldson (56) was shot dead more than seven years ago by gunmen in an isolated cottage near Glenties. The Real IRA claimed it was responsible.
The former senior Sinn Féin official had confessed to spying for police Special Branch in Northern Ireland and secret service MI5 just months before he was killed.
At the start of the hearing in Letterkenny – the 12th sitting of the inquest into his death in April, 2006 – Supt Michael Finan asked for a further adjournment as the DPP wanted more time to consider technical details.
Daughter's statement
The family solicitor, Ciaran Shiels, said that gardaí had a statement from Donaldson's daughter. She had attested that when he lived outside Glenties he secretly spoke by phone to his PSNI handler code-named Lenny.
Mr Shiels said: “The family is concerned that the Garda investigation has not looked at or questioned Mr Donaldson’s handler or those who controlled the handler or the ongoing contact he had with him when he was in Donegal.”
The inquest was adjourned last March to give the State an opportunity to say yesterday if it would be proceeding with a prosecution. The full inquest will not proceed while there is a delay in a decision whether or not to start a criminal prosecution.
Family 'let down'
Mr Shiels said yesterday that the family felt let down by the request and feared there would be no criminal prosecution.
Stephen Byrnes, counsel for the gardaí, said the members of the Garda Siochána were doing all possible in their investigation. He conceded it may be a slim hope that there would be a prosecution but so long as there was hope they must pursue it.
The coroner said he was adjourning the inquest one more time – to March 27th –and if there was a request for another adjournment he conceded that family had a good case for the proceedings to continue.