Woman arrested in Sarah Montgomery murder investigation released unconditionally
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said a 28-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of murder over the weekend remains in police custody.
Advertisement
Pregnant mother-of-two Ms Montgomery died at her home in Donaghadee on Saturday.
Police have launched a murder investigation following the death of Sarah Montgomery. Photo: PSNI/PA.
Police had said the two people arrested were known to the victim and no-one else is being sought in connection with the death.
On Tuesday detectives confirmed a woman arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender had been released unconditionally.
The murder of Ms Montgomery has led to fresh concerns from politicians about the level of violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland.
Advertisement
Police forensic officers at the scene on Monday. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA.
Floral tributes have been left outside Ms Montgomery's home in the Elmfield Walk area.
Detective Chief Inspector Tom Phillips said on Monday: 'This is an incredibly tragic case which has devastated Sarah's family and friends, and leaves two small children without their beloved mum.
'Specially trained officers will continue to support Sarah's family and we are working to do everything in our power to bring anyone involved in this senseless murder to justice.
'If you know anything that will help with our investigation, please contact us on 101 quoting reference number 865 28/06/25.'
Advertisement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
42 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Prosecutors are looking at charging serial killer nurse Lucy Letby with MORE baby murders
Detectives investigating child killer Lucy Letby have passed a file of evidence to prosecutors alleging she murdered and harmed more babies. The Mail understands there are more than a dozen potential offences included in the file, which the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) last night confirmed would be examined to see whether she should be charged with more crimes. That process is expected to take several weeks and involve consultation with the most senior legal brains in the country, including Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions, and Lord Richard Hermer KC, the Attorney General. The news emerged hours after Cheshire Police confirmed it had arrested three senior executives who worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital, where Letby carried out her 13-month killing spree, on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. The unnamed managers were quizzed at separate police stations in Cheshire for several hours before being bailed pending further enquiries on Monday. Their arrests form part of Cheshire Constabulary's parallel investigation into corporate manslaughter at the NHS Trust, but it is understood that prosecutors have not yet been asked to offer advice in connection with that second inquiry. Letby, 35, is currently serving 15 whole life terms for the murder of seven babies and attempted murder of seven more - one of whom she attacked twice - at the hospital's neo-natal unit, between June 2015 and June 2016. In December, Cheshire police confirmed that the serial killer had been questioned in prison in connection with more murders and attempted murders at both the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women's Hospital, where she underwent two periods of training. Police are examining 4,000 babies Letby cared for between January 2012 and July 2016 The Trial of Lucy Letby: The Inquiry Listen and follow on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now. As part of their ongoing inquiry, codenamed Operation Hummingbird, detectives have been examining the cases of 4,000 infants she cared for during the 'footprint' of her nursing career, which dates back to January 2012, and includes two student placements she undertook at the Liverpool Trust, in 2012 and 2015. However, the handing over of evidence to the CPS is a significant milestone in their investigation. A spokesman for the CPS said: 'We can confirm that we have received a full file of evidence from Cheshire Constabulary asking us to consider further allegations in relation to deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women's Hospital. 'We will now carefully consider the evidence to determine whether any further criminal charges should be brought. 'As always, we will make that decision independently, based on the evidence and in line with our legal test.' According to an independent report, leaked to the Mail's Trial+ podcast, Letby was on duty, or had been working the shift prior, for 12 of 13 baby deaths that occurred at the Countess between April 2015 and July 2016. In November, Dr Stephen Brearey, the senior paediatrician on the hospital's neo-natal unit, told the public inquiry investigating Letby's crimes that he believed she 'likely' murdered or attacked more babies before she killed her first victim, a premature twin boy known as Baby A, in June 2015. He said, looking back, he now had suspicions about other deaths and collapses, which at the time staff believed were due to natural causes. Dr Rachel Lambie, who worked as a registrar at the Countess, also told the Thirlwall Inquiry that around a fortnight before Baby A died another 'very, very unusual event' occurred on the ward. Although she didn't go into detail, the medic confirmed she has since given a statement to detectives about the incident. During the hearings, at Liverpool Town Hall, it also emerged that babies' breathing tubes became dislodged on 40 per cent of shifts Letby worked at Liverpool Women's Hospital, between October and December 2012, and January and February 2015. According to the BBC, babies suffered potentially life-threatening incidents on almost a third of the 33 shifts she was on duty while training at the Trust. In one case, from November 2012, a baby boy she was caring for collapsed and water was later discovered in his breathing tube, which experts say is highly irregular. Dr Dewi Evans, the former lead prosecution witness at Letby's original trial, also previously told the Mail he had concerns over the deaths of at least three children and the collapses of as many as 15 more, including one potentially poisoned with insulin, all of which were not included on the original indictment. He said he had suspicions that Letby experimented with moving babies' breathing tubes as a method of causing harm before she began injecting air into their bloodstreams, or into their tummies via their nasal feeding tubes in a bid to kill. 'One thing we can be reasonably sure of is that Lucy Letby did not turn up to work one day and decide to inject a baby with air into their bloodstream,' Dr Evans said. 'I think the modus operandi evolved over time and I think that prior to air embolus tube displacement was probably something that she did.' Neonatologist Professor Neena Modi, Letby's barrister Mark McDonald, Sir David Davis MP and retired medic Dr Shoo Lee, during a press conference to announce 'new medical evidence' which they say casts doubts on her convictions The BBC's Panorama programme also claimed to have seen evidence that a baby boy, whose case was not included in the original trial, was potentially poisoned with insulin in November 2015. Letby was convicted of attempting to murder two children on the unit by administering the drug into their drips, in August 2015 and April 2016. Letby, formerly of Hereford, has always maintained her innocence but two applications for leave to appeal her convictions have already been refused by the Court of Appeal. In February her new legal team presented reports from a panel of 14 international experts which, they say, casts doubt on the jury's guilty verdicts. Led by Canadian neonatologist, Dr Shoo Lee, the panel said no murders took place at the Countess and instead babies collapsed or died because of natural causes or poor care. In April, their findings, plus that of another 12 experts, were submitted to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, the body that investigates potential miscarriages of justice. It subsequently confirmed it is examining whether her case should be sent to the Court of Appeal for a third time. A spokesman for Cheshire Police said: 'We can confirm that Cheshire Constabulary has submitted a full file of evidence to the CPS for charging advice regarding the ongoing investigation into deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the neo-natal units of both the Countess of Chester Hospital and the Liverpool Women's Hospital as part of Operation Hummingbird.'
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Grandfather accused of murdering grandson, 2, admits ‘being cruel and neglectful' to toddler & is ‘disgusted' in himself
A MAN accused of murdering his two-year-old grandson has admitted being "cruel and neglectful to the toddler", a court heard. Ethan Ives-Griffiths died from a severe head injury in Garden City in Flintshir, north Wales, back in August 2021. 4 4 4 Grandparents Michael Ives, 47, denied he or his wife Kerry Ives, 46, inflicted a severe head injury on Ethan before he collapsed at their home in Flintshire, on August 14 2021. Ethan had been staying at his grandparents' house in Garden City with his mother Shannon Ives, 28, when he collapsed, the court heard. But after being rushed to hospital the tot died two days later having suffered catastrophic head injuries, a jury has heard. Under cross-examination by Caroline Rees KC, prosecuting, at Mold Crown Court on Tuesday, Michael said he felt "sick" about letting Ethan decline while he lived with them. The grandfather accepted that he neglected Ethan and that the way he carried him, by his upper arm, was cruel. But he denied mistreating the tot in other ways. After watching CCTV footage of himself and Ethan in the back garden of the home on August 4 2021, when he could be seen carrying the toddler by his arm, Ives was asked how he felt about how he behaved. Michael replied: "Ashamed. Disgusted in myself." Asked when he noticed Ethan was "dangerously thin", Ives said he mentioned it to Shannon Ives a couple of weeks before the boy's death. He told the court: "She was going to try and get him a doctor's appointment." Mom who 'killed 8-month-old baby in scalding water over dirty diaper' posted chilling pic of son in bath just days after Michael said he did not notice Ethan was so "desperately dehydrated" that medical experts said he would have died in a short time even if he had not suffered a brain injury. He said he was "shocked" to learn there were 40 bruises or red marks found on Ethan after his death. But, he told the court he had noticed bruises on Ethan's cheeks which appeared to look as if he had been grabbed by his face and he mentioned it to his daughter. He said he asked Shannon Ives where the bruises came from, but she said she did not know. Ms Rees said: "Did you cause those bruises?" Michael said: "No." He said he did not discipline Ethan by making him put his hands on his head, although in interviews he told police he had done that about four times. Ms Rees said: "Are you hiding the fact that you told Ethan to put his hands on his head because you know that was part of your brutal discipline regime for that two-year-old boy?" Michael replied: "No." The grandfather has told the court he was in the living room with Ethan on August 14 2021 when his legs turned to "jelly". Ms Rees said medical evidence showed something "horrifying" happened to the toddler just before his collapse but Michael said "nothing" had happened. Michael and Kerry Ives, of Kingsley Road, Garden City, deny murder, an alternative count of causing or allowing the death of a child, and cruelty to a person under 16. Shannon Ives, of Nant Garmon, Mold, denies causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a person under 16. 4
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
University of Kentucky student who called black staffer N-word 200 times is released early from prison
A University of Kentucky student who was locked up for a racist attack on a black staffer has been released from jail early for good behavior. Sophia Rosing, 23, was filmed unleashing a vile verbal and physical attack on a first year student working as a front desk clerk at her dormitory in 2022. She pleaded guilty to four counts of fourth-degree assault, one count of disorderly conduct and one count of alcohol intoxication in August 2024, and by October was setnencd to one year in jail, 100 hours of community service and a $25 fine. According to WLEX, Rosing has since walked free from custody after her charges were 'amended to misdemeanors' and a 'good time' credit reduced her sentence. Her sentence was to be served in a county jail, beginning October 17, and she was never transferred to the custody of the Kentucky Department of Corrections. 'She received pre-sentence credit and good time credit by the jail, which advanced her release to May 11, 2025.' The Department of Corrections said it 'had no role in her custody or release' in a statement. During the 10-minute tirade, Rosing called the woman, Kylah Spring, the n-word at least 200 times, swung punches in her direction and told her to 'do her chores.' Other students tried to intervene as a drunk Rosing, who had attempted to enter the dorm without her student ID, called Spring an 'ugly n***** b****.' Rosing is no longer a student at the University of Kentucky and has been banned from the college campus. She is not eligible to re-enrol. Back in February, just three months before she ultimately walked free, her attorneys requested she be released and granted probation because they said their client does not pose a threat to public safety and is focused on bettering herself, according to the court filing reviewed by WKYT. Rosing was also fired from her influencer job with Dillard's Campus Collective Program after footage of her abusing the fellow student went viral. A representative for Dillard's branded her behavior as 'abhorrent' adding that they 'do not condone racism or hate in any form.' Rosing's attorney Fred Peters has said that his client stopped drinking in the aftermath of the viral tirade. 'She's extremely remorseful,' he said. Following the incident, Spring made an impassioned speech at an anti-racism march at the University of Kentucky. She told the crowd: 'I was physically, verbally and racially assaulted by Jane Doe, aka Sophia Rosing. 'This is a recurring issue in and across the American school system no matter what age. 'I am deeply saddened by the events that took place, but I am most grateful for justice that is to come. 'To Miss Rosing, you will not break my spirit and you will be held accountable for your actions. I only pray that you open your heart to love and try to experience life differently and more positively. 'As Michelle Obama once said, "When they go low, we go high". I will continue to address this situation with grace and humility.'
