The inquest into the death of Donegal soldier Private Sean Rooney has heard a request from the Defence Forces that part of it be held in private due to security concerns.
The Irish Times reports that a preliminary hearing ahead of the official inquest, held on Friday, was told that some materials received by Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane in relation to Pvt Rooney contained redactions due to operational and security concerns.
At the hearing, the Defence Forces argued that certain information being released into the public domain would pose a risk to personnel who are still deployed to Lebanon on the UNIFIL mission – however Dr Cullinane responded that there was a lack of clarity regarding the legality of such private sessions before the coroner’s court.
In response, the Counsel representing the Rooney family acknowledged that protection of members of the Defence Forces was important, but that a public inquest was also crucial for the functioning of the coroner’s court.
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