A man has been arrested in Dublin on suspicion of the murder of Belfast woman Mary Ward (22).
The 26-year-old was detained by detectives attached to the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Dublin on Wednesday afternoon. He is currently being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda station in Dublin.
Ms Ward’s body was found by Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) police officers in her home on Melrose Street in Belfast on Tuesday, October 1st.
PSNI officers launched a murder investigation into the killing of Ms Ward on Monday night. She had reported to police in recent weeks that she had been the victim of a violent crime, the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland has said.
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An Garda Síochána has also commended a murder investigation in accordance with provisions under the Criminal Law (Jurisdiction) Act 1976, and the two police forces are co-operating on the investigation.
Ms Ward was last seen alive on Wednesday, September 25th, with sightings in Dungannon, Belfast’s Grand Central Bus Station and Melrose Street.
PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said: “First of all I’d like to express my deepest sympathies to Mary Ward’s family and friends who are experiencing unbearable suffering knowing that their loved one was taken from them in such a cruel way.
“Our specialist trained family liaison officers are continuing to work with the family, providing support at this very difficult time.
ACC Beck continued: “Whilst our investigation is progressing at pace, we are still working to establish the exact circumstances of Mary’s death.
“I am appalled that there has been another murder of a woman in Northern Ireland.
“Mary is the fourth woman to be murdered in Northern Ireland in just six weeks. This is simply unacceptable and too many women are losing their lives at the hands of men.”
He added: “Sadly, a young man, Kyle McDermott, also lost his life at the weekend. While, a man was charged with manslaughter and has today appeared before court, I must emphasise that these acts of violence have no place in our society.
“As a police service we recently revised our Tackling Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) Action Plan and adopted the new national framework to align our response to this violence with that of terrorism and serious and organised crime. The level of violence and loss in Northern Ireland demands nothing less.
“We are absolutely determined that we will be relentless in our pursuit of the perpetrators and cannot allow another woman to die as a result of violence at the hands of men.”
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