Inga Maria Hauser: Family of murdered German backpacker seek inquest 33 years on

Inga Maria Hauser, from Munich, went missing after arriving in Larne on a ferry from Scotland in April 1988.

The 18-year-old’s body was found two weeks later in a remote part of Ballypatrick Forest, near Ballycastle in County Antrim.

Police believe she died shortly after she arrived in Northern Ireland and that she was subjected to a vicious and ruthless assault.

In July last year, the Public Prosecution Service decided not to take proceedings against two people about whom police had submitted a file of evidence.

While the PSNI have vowed to continue to investigate the murder, the Hauser family solicitor has said inquest proceedings are now being sought 33 years after the killing.

Claire McKeegan, of Phoenix Law, said: “The Hauser family are now seeking an inquest to investigate the cold-blooded murder of beautiful Inga Maria.

“In the absence of any criminal prosecution the Coroners Court have a duty to investigate any suspicious death in Northern Ireland.”

She continued: “This will represent the first time after 33 years that evidence will be heard and challenged before a court and will offer some hope of getting information and justice for our clients who have suffered irreparable pain since the murder.”

In the decades since her murder, Inga Maria’s mother and father have both since died.

East Londonderry MLA John Dallat, who had campaigned for justice for the family for decades, also passed away in May last year.

His daughter, Helena Dallat-O’Driscoll, said: “The Hauser family has suffered nonstop for over thirty years. Inga Maria was a much loved young woman when she came to Northern Ireland in the late 80s. She deserved so much better than to be so callously taken from her family and friends and left in Ballypatrick Forest. “People want to see a conclusion to this vicious and ruthless murder.

The Causeway Coast and Glens councillor continued: “Dad’s last piece of work was a press release, written with a frail hand just weeks before we lost him, to mark Inga Maria’s anniversary and to call on those with information about her murder to come forward.

“I am repeating the call for those who know anything about this murder to share that information. I appeal directly to anyone with information to give their account of what they know about what happened.”

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor