Man states he is ‘not guilty’ of murdering Belfast woman Mary Ward

A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of Belfast woman Mary Ward.

The 22-year-old woman – who was also the mother of an eight-month-old baby boy – was found dead at her home at Melrose Street, Belfast on October 1.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have since confirmed that the young mother had injuries to her neck. 

Now, almost two weeks on from the discovery of Ms Ward’s body, a man has been charged with her murder.

31-year-old Ahmed Abdirahman, who has an address at Kinlay House, Dame Street, Dublin, has been charged with killing Ms Ward on September 25. Gardaí have confirmed that he was charged at Kevin Street station at 9.32pm last night (October 10).

Earlier today, he then appeared at Dublin District Court to begin the court proceedings.

Although the accused was not required to speak during the brief hearing, the court was told that when he was charged with Ms Ward’s murder, he stated to officers that he was "not guilty".

At the end of the hearing, the accused was remanded in custody. He will appear in court again at Cloverhill District Court on October 18.

Ms Ward was last seen alive a week before she was found dead at her home.

Following her funeral service in Co. Antrim on October 7, the PSNI confirmed that they had launched a murder investigation into her death, with Gardaí working closely with them.