Man Arrested In Connection With Mary Ward's Murder

A 26-year-old man has been arrested in Dublin in connection with the murder of Mary Ward. The suspect was arrested on Wednesday, 09 October, by members of An Garda Síochána.

Mary Ward was last seen alive on Wednesday, September 25th. She was known to have been in Dungannon, Grand Central Bus Station, and Melrose Street in Belfast throughout the day. Her body was discovered by police officers on Tuesday, October 1st.

PSNI, Assistant Chief Constable, Crime Department, 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."