AN INQUEST will finally be held into the death of York ME sufferer Carli Barry later this week.

The hearing will take place at New Earswick Folk Hall on Thursday, just over four years after she died in a York churchyard, on her 27th birthday.

The Evening Press reported last month how Home Office Minister Paul Goggins had expressed concern about delays by York coroner Donald Coverdale, in holding the inquest, and also about the coroner's failure to respond to several letters from solicitors acting for Carli's family.

The Minister said his officials had arranged to visit the coroner, and had also been in touch with the Lord Chancellor, so he could consider whether or not he wanted to exercise his disciplinary powers.

Mr Coverdale told the Evening Press then that it had been a difficult matter to bring to a conclusion, but it was now clear that the assembly of evidence was as complete as it could be, and he hoped to set a date shortly.

He added that the time taken to complete inquests had been substantially reduced in 2004 and this process was continuing.

He said today he would comment on the inquest timescale at the end of the hearing, when matters of evidence had been disclosed in public and matters could therefore be placed in perspective. It would not be appropriate to comment further now, he said.

Vale of York MP Anne McIntosh, who had complained to Mr Goggins after being contacted by Carli's mother, Sheila, of Huby, near Easingwold, said today she was delighted that the inquest was finally taking place.

However, she said she still found it "extraordinary and unacceptable" that it had taken more than four years to get to a hearing.

She believed there had not yet been any decision on whether disciplinary action should be taken.

Carli died in St Paul's Churchyard near her Holgate home on February 8, 2001. Her body was found nine days later, after a major police search.

An inquest, which opened on March 15, 2001, heard that she was thought to have died from an overdose.

Mrs Barry has declined to comment on the delays but said she hoped that the inquest would highlight the terrible problems experienced by people suffering from the debilitating condition ME.

Updated: 10:25 Tuesday, March 08, 2005