Man (20s) charged in relation to the murder of Mary Ward

Mary Ward was found dead at her home in Belfast

The man was arrested in Dublin on Wednesday, October 9th, and is due to appear in court this morning.

According to reports, he will appear before the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin at 10.30 am today.

The body of Mary Ward was found at her home in Belfast on October 1st.

However, investigating officers believe she was killed on September 25th.

Officers called to her home six days later about an unrelated matter but sadly found the young mum's body upon arrival.

A murder investigation was launched following the discovery of her body at a house on Melrose Street, Belfast.

Mary Ward reportedly contacted police about a violent crime just weeks before she was found dead at her Belfast home.

The case has been referred to the Police Ombudsman because of the previous contact.

“In the weeks prior to her murder, Ms Ward reported to police that she had been the victim of a violent crime. Our investigation will focus on the police response to this report.”

A spokesperson said: “Whilst at this time there is no suggestion of individual criminality or misconduct, we are nonetheless concerned about our organisational response.”

Mary Ward is the fourth woman to be killed in the last six weeks in Northern Ireland.

She is survived by her 8-month-old son.

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