Raychel Ferguson inquest: Family ask coroner to recuse himself over 'bias'

THE family of Raychel Ferguson has called on the coroner presiding over a new inquest into her death to stand down because of "bias against the family".

The nine-year-old, from Coshquin, Co Derry, died from hyponatraemia - an abnormally low level of sodium in the blood - at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children in June 2001.

Her death came a day after she underwent appendix surgery at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry.

The new inquest is being held after a 2018 public inquiry into the deaths of five children in hospitals in Northern Ireland found four of them, including Raychel's, were avoidable.

Public hearings began on Tuesday.

At a hearing in Derry courthouse today, counsel for the family, John Coyle, began to ask coroner Joe McCrisken if he would recuse himself from the inquest, meaning he would stand down.

However, Mr McCrisken said he would prefer a written submission. The submission was due to be made this afternoon.

The inquest is due to resume at 10am on Tuesday.

A previous inquest was held into Raychel's death in 2003. However, her mother Marie Ferguson described that process as a "shambles".