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A pre-inquest hearing into the murder of a Real IRA man has been told Irish authorities have yet to submit any relevant information.

The body of Kieran Doherty, 31, was found dumped on the Braehead Road, Londonderry, on 24 February 2010.

At a preliminary hearing, the Coroner's Court was told no material had been received from Gardaí (Irish police) or the Chief State Solicitor's Office.

Counsel for the coroner said the situation was "regrettable".

A barrister for the Doherty family said while they "desperately" wanted the inquest to proceed, they also wanted "a thorough investigation into the murder".

Kieran Doherty was kidnapped

He was stripped, bound and shot dead before his body was dumped on the outskirts of the city, close to the Irish border.

The dissident republican group, the Real IRA, claimed responsibility for the attack.

On Friday, the coroner's court was told both the Chief State Solicitor's Office in Dublin and the Gardaí had been contacted about any material of relevance to the hearing that they might have.

Both had previously provided assurances they would cooperate with proceedings.

It had been stressed to the Irish authorities that any material was needed for Friday's hearing, counsel for the coroner said.

"Unfortunately this process does take some time," she said.

Coroner Brian Sherrard said the lack of submissions had given him a dilemma. He preferred to have all the information available before deciding on issues such as Public Interest Immunity, he said.

"Just in case information becomes available that should not become available".

The coroner suggested the Irish authorities be contacted again. The next hearing is due to take place on 19 April.