Will killer ever face justice?

The body of Inga Marie Hauser was found in Ballypatrick Forest

Twenty years ago a German teenager got off a ferry in County Antrim, looking forward to visiting the tourist sights of Northern Ireland.

But she was to fall victim to a still unknown killer.

Inga Marie Hauser, 18, from Munich, crossed the Irish Sea on the Galloway Princess on 6 April 1988.

Her body was found in a shallow grave at Ballypatrick Forest outside Ballycastle, County Antrim on 20 April 1988.

The area is an isolated one some miles from the seaside town and while popular with walkers and picnicers now, then it was mostly locals who would make the occasional foray into the area to cut a few sods of turf.

An appeal was made on the BBC's Crimewatch programme three years ago for information from people who were on the same ferry crossing.

It resulted in a new witness coming forward who told investigators Ms Hauser was seen getting into a lorry.

Before leaving Stranraer Ms Hauser had visited a friend in Cardiff but decided to travel on to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Hundreds of people who had been on the ferry, including soldiers and lorry drivers, were questioned by detectives as part of a huge investigation centred on the north coast.

To date no-one has ever been charged with the murder.

Ten years ago her heartbroken father, Joseph, said that her family had acepted her killer would never be caught.

The case was reopened in 1999 following a request by SDLP assembly member John Dallat to then RUC chief constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan.

Last week the East Londonderry MLA appealed for the killer to give himself up, but he has little hope that he will actually be caught.

Mr Dallat said it was important that police did not give up on the case. He said there had been talk of additional DNA testing and that he would meet with the officer in charge of the case next week.

"It happened 20 years ago, but our young people go off to foreign places and surely we would want the people in those other countries to take care of them," he said.