Man arrested over death of Mary Ward silent as he appears in Dublin court charged with murder

Ahmed Abdirahman, 31, who replied "not guilty" when charged, appeared before Judge William Aylmer

A man arrested in connection with the death of a woman in Belfast has appeared in court in Dublin charged with murder and was remanded in custody today.

Ahmed Abdirahman, 31, who replied "not guilty" when charged, appeared before Judge William Aylmer at Dublin District Court.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) commenced a murder probe after the lifeless body of the mother of one Mary Ward, 22, was found on October 1 in her home on Melrose Street, in south Belfast.

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She was last seen alive on September 25 and had suffered neck injuries. The PSNI and An Garda Síochána conducted a joint investigation and detectives attached to the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI) arrested a man in Dublin city centre on Wednesday.

Mr Abdirahman, 31, who had an address at Kinlay House, Dame St, Dublin 2, was taken to Kevin Street station, detained and charged on Thursday night. The accused was held overnight and brought to appear before Judge Alymer this morning.

Dressed in a navy sweater and light grey tracksuit trousers, the accused stood silently with his hands clasped throughout the brief hearing. Detective Sergeant James King said Mr Abdirahman was charged at 10.01 pm and cautioned, after which he replied: "Not guilty".

The District Court does not have jurisdiction to consider bail in a murder case, which requires an application in the High Court. Judge Aylmer remanded Mr Abdirahman in custody to appear via video link on October 18 at Cloverhill District Court.

Defence solicitor Wayne Kenny said, "We will be making an application for bail in the High Court as soon as possible".

Legal aid was granted. Under the Criminal Law (Jurisdiction) Act 1976, a person can be charged and tried in the Republic for offences allegedly committed in Northern Ireland.

Earlier, the PSNI had issued a statement: "The joint investigation into the death of Mary Ward will now be led by An Garda Síochána with continued support from the PSNI," it continued. An Garda Síochána also said it would continue to work closely with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on this investigation.

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