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A 26-year-old man has been apprehended in Dublin under suspicion of the murder of 22-year-old Mary Ward, whose body was found at her home in Melrose Street in south Belfast on 1 October. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has begun a murder investigation and is still determining the specifics of her death. An Garda Síochána, Ireland’s police force, disclosed that it will be working closely alongside the PSNI in relation to the case. BBC News NI understands that Ms Ward died following a number of neck wounds. The PSNI had been alerted to her on several occasions prior to her discovery and death.
Providing details of the timeline, Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck confirmed that police had contact with Ms Ward on four occasions from 4 September to 1 October. Before Ms Ward was found dead, police were attempting to speak to her on 24 September and spoke to her by phone on the 25th of the month. The PSNI observed Ms Ward crouched over against an upstairs window of her home on 1 October after they were dispatched for an unrelated matter. She was found to have died on or around 25 September, according to police estimates.
Ass Ch Cons David Beck expressed his exasperation on Wednesday by stating he was “absolutely appalled” at the fact there had been another woman murder victim in Northern Ireland, saying “Too many women are losing their lives at the hands of men”. A review of the police’s interactions with Ms Ward before she died has led to a Police Ombudsman investigation. Its focus will be on the police’s reaction to the report of violence in the weeks leading up to the murder. Ms Ward was the fourth and latest victim of violence against women in Northern Ireland in the last six weeks, according to Det Ch Supt Lindsay Fisher.
The PSNI has been working towards combating violence against women and girls (VAWG) in recent years by launching an action plan two years ago and the Executive Office launching a strategy last month. The latter was initiated as more than 30 women and girls were murdered in Northern Ireland over the past five years. In the 12 months leading up to July, the PSNI recorded 22,400 VAWG-related offences. While this figure shows a year-on-year decline of 16%, the PSNI accepts that there is still a considerable amount of work to be undertaken on the issue by the wider society
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