Second inquest in schoolboy death

An inquest in 1995 found Christopher died from asphyxiation due to a severe epileptic fit

A second inquest has been ordered into the 1994 death of a County Down schoolboy.

Christopher Coulter, from Hillsborough, was 15 years old when he died, 10 days after receiving the combined measles and rubella (MR) vaccine.

The original inquest in 1995 found Christopher died from asphyxiation due to a severe epileptic fit.

However, his parents said there was no history of epilepsy in the family and believed the vaccine played a part.

The Attorney General for Northern Ireland John Larkin QC has issued a directive to the senior coroner and said the case was of "enormous public importance".

Christopher's mother Anne told The Detail investigative journalism website that the family hoped they would get some answers and some closure.

The Coulter family's solicitor Padraig O Muirigh said Christopher's death was a matter of public interest.

"There may be other families whose children may have been affected. That may become clear as we go down the road.

"The original inquest didn't explore in detail the issue and came to findings without the body of scientific knowledge available today, which was crucial to the attorney general's decision."

The Coulter family submitted new evidence from an American consultant paediatric neurologist to the attorney general in support of their request for a new inquest.