The 59-year-old man who has been charged with the murder nine years ago of Castlederg teenager Arlene Arkinson is to apply to the court to have the murder charge dropped.
Lawyers for Robert Lesarian Howard, who is originally from Co Laois, told Omagh Magistrates' Court yesterday that they intended to apply for an abuse of process application next month.
The defendant is accused of murdering the 15-year-old schoolgirl and with perverting the course of justice by disposing of her body. Both offences are alleged to have taken place on an unknown date and at an unknown location on or about August 14th, 1994.
At yesterday's video-link remand hearing, the court was told that the defendant intended to lodge an abuse of process application to stay the proceedings.
The application will be heard at a special hearing in Strabane Court on September 11th when, it is understood, the defendant's lawyers will argue that the passage of time since the schoolgirl went missing made a fair trail impossible.