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Man charged over murder of pregnant mother-of-two

Man charged over murder of pregnant mother-of-two

Extra.ie​02-07-2025
A man has been charged with the murder of pregnant mother-of-two Sarah Montgomery in Co. Down. Police said the man, 28, had also been charged with child destruction.
He is due to appear before Newtownards Magistrates' Court today. Ms Montgomery, 27, died at her home in Donaghadee in Co. Down on Saturday.
Floral tributes have been left outside her home in the Elmfield Walk area. Pic: Liam McBurney/PA Wire
Earlier yesterday, a 47-year-old woman, who was arrested as part of the investigation, was released unconditionally.
The killing of Ms Montgomery has led to fresh concerns from politicians about the level of violence against women and girls in the North.
The problem of violence against women and girls is 'embedded' in the North, First Minister Michelle O'Neill said. First Minister Michelle O'Neill. Pic:However, Ms O'Neill said she does not accept that the situation cannot be turned around and called for a 'whole of society' approach to dealing with it.
For the second day, a number of politicians at Stormont expressed condolences following Ms Montgomery's killing.
Answering questions at the Assembly, Ms O'Neill said: 'I can't even imagine what her family are going through. Sarah Montgomery. Pic: PSNI
'A young mummy expecting her next child, her whole life ahead of her and taken from her family in the most devastating way.'
Ms O'Neill updated MLAs on actions taken as part of the Executive's Ending Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, stating there needs to be a 'whole of society' approach.
Ms O'Neill said the Executive Office had committed £3.2million (€3.7m) until next March to support the strategy.
She said funding had already been provided to local councils to enable them to build awareness of the issue and to hold information events.
The First Minister said all councils in the North had now opened up a local change fund to 'get right into the grassroots of community and voluntary organisations'.
She said a regional change fund had also been established, with funding of £ 1.2 million (€1.4 million).
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Jay Slater told pal 'I'm in the middle of the mountains' in final phonecall, inquest hears
Jay Slater told pal 'I'm in the middle of the mountains' in final phonecall, inquest hears

Extra.ie​

time15 hours ago

  • Extra.ie​

Jay Slater told pal 'I'm in the middle of the mountains' in final phonecall, inquest hears

Teenager Jay Slater, who went missing in Tenerife last summer, was begged by a friend to get back to safety after he ventured off a mountain road down a dangerous ravine, an inquest heard. The 19-year-old had told his friends he was 'in the middle of the mountains' and in need of a drink, as he attempted a 14-hour walk home the morning after taking drugs and alcohol on a night out, Preston Coroner's Court was told on Tuesday. Mr Slater, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was holidaying on the Spanish island and had been to the NRG music festival with friends at the Papagayo nightclub in the resort of Playa de las Americas on June 16 last year. Jay Slater. Pic: Family Handout But he vanished the next morning after going with two men to an Airbnb in a village in the mountains miles from his holiday apartment. A huge search was launched after he was reported missing on June 18, and his body was found by a mountain rescue team almost a month later in a steep and inaccessible area, near the village of Masca on July 15. An inquest into his death resumed on Thursday after it was adjourned in May so witnesses could be traced. Pic: James Manning/PA Wire Friend Bradley Geoghegan said Mr Slater had taken ecstasy pills, and possibly ketamine, along with cocaine and alcohol, on the night out before he disappeared. The next morning, Mr Geoghegan said he got a video call from Mr Slater, who was walking along a road and was still 'under the influence', the court heard. Mr Geoghegan said: 'I said put your maps on to see how far you were. It was like a 14-hour walk or an hour drive. I said, 'Get a taxi back', then he just goes, 'I will ring you back'.' Debbie Duncan with her son Jay Slater. Pic: Facebook Coroner Dr James Adeley asked the witness: 'Did you get the impression he was in any way threatened or fearful, or under duress in a difficult situation?' Mr Geoghegan replied: 'No. I think he probably got there and thought, 'Why am I here?', sobered up and decided to come back.' Another friend, Lucy Law, called him around 8.30am and had sent him a message saying: 'Go back to wherever the f**k you just came from before it gets boiling.' Pic: James Manning/PA Wire She said on the call she asked him: 'What on earth are you doing? Where are you?' 'He was just, 'I'm in the middle of the mountains'.' She asked him what he could see, and he replied: 'Nothing. Literally nothing. There's literally just mountains.' Mr Slater also said he needed a drink and asked if cacti are poisonous. Ms Laws added: 'By this stage, I'm panicking.' Another friend, Brandon Hodgson, in a statement to Spanish police, said Mr Slater contacted him on a video call around 8.30am showing him surrounded by mountains, with his phone battery down to three per cent. Mr Hodgson said his friend was 'laughing and joking' and got the impression he was 'out of his mind.' He told police: 'Jay is mentally very child-like', and so he called Ms Law so she could call him to 'solve the problem'. Excerpts from information from the Spanish authorities was read out by the coroner, Dr James Adeley, including excerpts from the local Mountain Rescue services. It said the search for Mr Slater continued for 29 days and involved large-scale operations involving helicopters, dogs, drones and rescue teams. On July 15, they searched the treacherous Juan Lopez Ravine, where Mr Slater's body was found, an area described as having sheer cliffs and deep dense undergrowth. It was a little used area as it has no water and has to be accessed using machetes to cut through dense vegetation. Around 20 metres above where the body was found was Mr Slater's Armani bag with his phone and nitrous oxide gas canisters inside. The Spanish authorities said they could not explain why Mr Slater 'took a chance' to leave the road to descend down the ravine and he was unfamiliar with the area and his phone battery had died. But the sea can be seen from the head of the ravine, and they suggested he may have believed he could reach a beach and get help. The report said: 'It would be easy to slip on the rocks and fall into the void. 'The death of the missing person must have occurred as a result of an accidental fall.' Earlier, Ayub Qassim said Mr Slater had asked to come back to the Airbnb apartment where he and friend Stephen Roccas were staying. Mr Qassim described Mr Slater as: 'On a buzz. Chilled, happy. Mingling in'it.' He told the inquest he went to bed when they returned and could hear Mr Slater downstairs. He was woken about an hour later because he needed to move his car and when he returned to the house Mr Slater was leaving and said he was going to catch a bus. He said: 'I went 'bro, there ain't no buses coming here any time soon'.' He said Mr Slater left, despite him explaining that buses did not pass regularly. He added: 'At that point I presumed he'd sit at that bus stop and that's it. He's waiting till the first bus comes and he's out of there.' Mr Slater's mother, Debbie Duncan had asked for the inquest into the death to be resumed on Thursday after a number of witnesses failed to give evidence at the last hearing in May. She said Mr Slater's family still had questions about their loved one's death that needed answers. Coroner's officer Alice Swarbrick told the hearing efforts had been made to contact Mr Roccas and Mr Slater's friend Brandon Hodgson, but neither had responded. The hearing in May heard from a number of witnesses, including toxicology expert Dr Stephanie Martin. The court heard analysis showed traces of drugs, including cocaine, ketamine and ecstasy, along with alcohol, were found in Mr Slater's body. Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd said his post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as head injuries, and Mr Slater's body showed no evidence of restraint or assault, with the pattern of injuries consistent with a fall from a height. Marieke Krans, from Dutch rescue charity Signi Zoekhonden – which uses dogs, helped in the search. She said the area where the body was found was about a three-and-a-half-hour walk from the Airbnb and was 'really steep, really dangerous', and it was 'easy' to lose your footing. The inquest will continue on Friday.

Cork woman, 60, tells court she was left to 'hitch hike home in the dark' following arrest
Cork woman, 60, tells court she was left to 'hitch hike home in the dark' following arrest

Irish Examiner

time2 days ago

  • Irish Examiner

Cork woman, 60, tells court she was left to 'hitch hike home in the dark' following arrest

A 60-year-old woman who was convicted of three public order offences and obstruction has told the district court she was left to hitchhike home in the dark following her arrest in October 2024. Ann O'Neill, of Mardyke Street, Skibbereen, appeared at Skibbereen District Court before Judge Joanne Carroll where her case was due for finalisation. At a previous hearing, O'Neill was convicted on two counts of intoxication in a public place, one count of threatening and abusive behaviour and one count of obstructing a peace officer. Her solicitor, Colette McCarthy, told the court O'Neill had suffered serious personal tragedy in her life, had been diagnosed with cancer, and had also been given notice to leave her accommodation by September. She said her client was anxious to address the court, as she did not do so at the time of her conviction, and Judge Carroll agreed to allow O'Neill to address the court. O'Neill said her dealings with the court arose from an incident in October 2024 following a visit to her GP, who had requested a welfare check be carried out. On foot of the welfare check, O'Neill was arrested in the early afternoon and taken from her home in Skibbereen to Clonakilty Garda Station. O'Neill told the court her mobile phone was on low charge and she had no money, and her sister was not informed of where she had gone. She told the court she was released after 8pm but was told she could not be brought home because the gardaí were not insured to do so. She said she walked to a petrol station in Clonakilty to see if they could charge her phone for her but they were unable to do so, and she was forced to hitchhike back to Skibbereen in the dark. Judge Joanne Carroll said she understood O'Neill 'had a lot of tragedy in her life' but the reality was for a positive outcome she would have to engage with alcohol treatment services. She acknowledged O'Neill had no previous convictions, but a probation report submitted to the court was 'not as good as it could be', as O'Neill had only attended one of three appointments. The judge said she was concerned about O'Neill's wellbeing, but could not alter the findings of the case that was heard by another judge. The judge said she would seek an addendum probation report and told O'Neill that she must fully engage with the Probation Service, alcohol treatment serves, mental health services and bereavement counselling in the meantime. This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme

Husband who killed wife in knife attack as she pushed pram jailed for life
Husband who killed wife in knife attack as she pushed pram jailed for life

Irish Daily Mirror

time3 days ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

Husband who killed wife in knife attack as she pushed pram jailed for life

A controlling husband who "viciously and mercilessly" murdered his wife in a knife attack while she was pushing their baby in a pram has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years. Kulsuma Akter was left bleeding to death by 27-year-old Habibur Masum, who had stalked her to a women's refuge in Bradford and attacked her in broad daylight. Masum, 27, was told he is "violent, self-centred, jealous, controlling and coercive" by judge Mr Justice Cotter on Tuesday as he was sentenced at the city's crown court. The judge also told Masum: "You stole a precious young life in a brutal and merciless fashion." Ms Akter's brother Emran Hussain said her death had left her family with "such a deep, painful void in our lives". Habibur Masum, 26, (centre) on a bus prior to him attacking his wife (Image: West Yorkshire Police/PA Wire) In his sentencing remarks, the judge told Masum: "It is indeed a sad fact that it can be very difficult to entirely protect a woman in a refuge from a determined and cunning man intent on confrontation." Mr Justice Cotter said the "nature and extent" of his attack "proves beyond all reasonable doubt that you intended to kill her". The Crown Prosecution Service described the murder as "callous" and "shocking". The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week Marie Walsh, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Habibur Masum is a violent and dangerous man who subjected his estranged wife to violence and domestic abuse causing her to flee their home to live in a safehouse in Bradford. "Unable to accept the relationship was over, he managed to track her down and then stabbed her multiple times. This was a callous and shocking murder for which Masum has now been jailed by the court. "We hope the imprisonment of Masum has brought some comfort to the family and friends of Kulsuma." Habibur Masum, 26, at the moment of his arrest in a car park near to Stoke Mandeville Hospital (Image: West Yorkshire Police/PA Wire) The family of Kulsuma say they have been left with a "painful void in our lives". "Kulsuma was a much-loved daughter, sister, aunt and mother. Her loss has left a gaping hole in the lives of all her family and friends," they said in a statement. "We have been left with a profound sense of emptiness and a deep and painful void in our lives. She was a loving, caring and kind soul with a generous nature, and touched the lives of everyone she came into contact with. As a family we miss her beautiful smile which would light up any room she entered. We will miss her humour, her kindness and her love. Habibur Masum appearing in the dock at Bradford Magistrates' Court, West Yorkshire (Image: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire) "We will never forgive the monster who took Kulsuma from us and we do not wish to utter his name. It does not deserve to be mentioned. The monster who savagely took Kulsuma from not only us, but also from her baby son. "He will never know her beauty and her kindness. He will never know his mother, other than the memories we as a family will share with him as he grows. He is the only light in all this darkness and Kulsuma radiates throughout him. "Although we are grateful for the judicial process that found him guilty of this crime and for the sentence he has received today, no amount of time in prison will change the life sentence he has inflicted upon us all. "No family should have to endure the pain and heartache we have had to endure since he took Kulsuma's life so horrifically. We can only try and keep her memory alive by continuing to love her and to remember her name." Sign up to the Irish Mirror's Courts and Crime newsletter here and get breaking crime updates and news from the courts direct to your inbox.

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