A man has been apprehended by the police in relation to the killing of Mary Ward due to a clue provided by surveillance footage from a Dublin shop. The 26-year-old alleged criminal, with a residence in Belfast, is currently held in custody after being apprehended on Wednesday for Ms Ward’s killing. Ms Ward, aged 22, passed away on the 25th of September yet was not found until six days later when law enforcement visited her residence in South Belfast regarding a differing issue.
Following the murder, the suspect was sighted at a Tesco outlet in the Thomas Street region of Dublin, purchasing a mobile phone top-up. The Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation managed the surveillance operation. According to sources, the suspect fled to the south which led the PSNI to get in touch with An Garda Síochána two days prior.
Davy Beck, the PSNI assistant chief constable, relayed in a press conference in Belfast on Wednesday that significant collaboration and effective communication had been in progress with the gardaí and the enquiry was advancing rapidly. The man in question had been previously apprehended by the PSNI three weeks before the demise of Ms Ward due to an alleged brutal assault that she had reported.
Upon his release, the PSNI referred themselves to the independent police watchdog (The Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland), for analysis of their conduct concerning this aspect on October 6th. Ms Ward becomes the fourth female to be murdered in Northern Ireland in the last six weeks. She was last observed on the 25th of September, at various points in Dungannon, Co Tyrone and the Grand Central Bus Station in Belfast, including her Melrose Street residence.
Ms Ward had called the police on September 4th to report an assault. A suspect was detained and interviewed by the police after a swift response to this emergency call.
“The crux of our concern revolves around the subsequent actions taken in response to a particularly delicate situation and the risk evaluation leading to decisions on how to approach the individual involved,” Assistant Chief Constable Beck informed the media on Wednesday. “We have willingly referred this to the Ombudsman for transparency.”
Ms Ward placed another call to the police on the 10th of September, and the police made an attempt to reach her on the 24th of September. Finally, a police officer was able to establish telephonic communication with her on the 25th of September.
On the 1st of October, police made forced entry into her home during a visit relevant to an unrelated issue, noticing a woman hunched over against an upstairs window.
The funeral service for Ms Ward took place on the 7th of October at Lambeg, Co Antrim, and that evening, the police confirmed to the general public that a murder investigation had been initiated.