Woman appears in court charged with murder of Northern Ireland pensioner

A WOMAN arrested and held for questioning in connection with the murder of an elderly Newry widow has been charged.

A WOMAN arrested and held for questioning in connection with the murder of an elderly Newry widow has been charged.

The 42-year-old woman, named as Karen Walsh, appeared before magistrates in Newry on New Year's Eve charged with killing Maire Rankin (81). She denies involvement in the crime, and is to reappear before the court next month.

The woman, who is understood to have lived close to Mrs Rankin, has been remanded in custody.

A 39-year-old man, who was also questioned by the PSNI at the force's serious crime suite in Antrim, was released, while a file has been sent to the Public Prosecution Service.

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Mrs Rankin's body was found by members of her large extended family on Christmas morning at her home on the Dublin Road in the city.

She had suffered multiple injuries, a postmortem showed.