Following her mother's death, Arkinson lived with a number of her older siblings and experienced sexual abuse at the hands of her brother-in-law, Seamus McGale.
[4] On 13 August 1994, Arlene Arkinson attended a disco in Bundoran, County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland.
Priscilla Gahan, a 16-year-old lodger who lived with Patricia Quinn, accused Howard of holding her captive, placing a noose around her neck, and raping her over a period of three days.
Howard was later found guilty of unlawful carnal knowledge despite having been initially charged with multiple rapes and with buggery.
[7] Despite having been the last person to see Arkinson and being on bail for a sex offence, it took 46 days for Howard to be arrested and questioned.
The jury did not hear evidence of other crimes Howard was convicted of and the defence solicitor argued that it could not be proven Arkinson was dead and suggested alternative explanations such as running away or committing suicide.
[16][17] Robert Howard died in prison in 2015 while serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of Hannah Williams.
[18] An inquest into the death of Arlene Atkinson opened in February 2021 following years of delay and lasted until July 2021.
[22] This claim was later repeated by Kent Police Detective Chief Inspector Colin Murray who led the investigation into the murder of Hannah Williams.
[24] Arlene Arkinson's disappearance and murder have been heavily covered in the media, often alongside that of Hannah Williams.