Northern Ireland

Death of girl (17) near Belfast City Hospital linked to crash five miles away

Police remove a car from the grounds of Belfast City Hospital on Sunday. Picture by Matt Bohill, Pacemaker
Police remove a car from the grounds of Belfast City Hospital on Sunday. Picture by Matt Bohill, Pacemaker Police remove a car from the grounds of Belfast City Hospital on Sunday. Picture by Matt Bohill, Pacemaker

Police believe the death of a teenage girl found near Belfast City Hospital is linked to a car crash on the outskirts of the city.

The 17-year-old was discovered lying next to a grey MG car in the hospital grounds on the Lisburn Road shortly before 3am yesterday.

At about 2.30am, a silver Mercedes was discovered on its roof in undergrowth off Ballygowan Road in Castlereagh.

Police found an injured man. He was taken to hospital for treatment but his condition was not known last night.

A postmortem examination is to be carried out to establish how the girl died.

A car is removed from Ballygowan Road in Castlereagh, near Roselawn Cemetery, after a crash. Picture by Alan Lewis, Photopress
A car is removed from Ballygowan Road in Castlereagh, near Roselawn Cemetery, after a crash. Picture by Alan Lewis, Photopress A car is removed from Ballygowan Road in Castlereagh, near Roselawn Cemetery, after a crash. Picture by Alan Lewis, Photopress

Chief Inspector Michael Gregg said: "Our investigation is at an early stage. However, we believe there is a link between the collision on Ballygowan Road in the vicinity of its junction with Manse Road and the discovery of the teenager's body.

"Were you in the Manse Road area/general Ballygowan area between 1am and 2.30am this morning? Did you see a car matching the description of the silver Mercedes? Did you witness the collision? Did you see any other vehicles in the time after the collision, including a grey MG? 

"If you were on the road at these times, please think back to what you may have seen. It's important we can track the movement of the vehicle involved to help us establish what happened. 

A police tent covers a car in the grounds of Belfast City Hospital on Sunday. Picture by Alan Lewis
A police tent covers a car in the grounds of Belfast City Hospital on Sunday. Picture by Alan Lewis A police tent covers a car in the grounds of Belfast City Hospital on Sunday. Picture by Alan Lewis

"I also want to appeal to anyone who was in the Belfast City Hospital/Lisburn Road area of the city this morning and saw a grey MG to please call us. We need to know how this young girl was brought to the hospital, by whom and from where. 



"If you have information about the collision, or the circumstances surrounding the death of this young girl which you believe could assist our investigation, please, pick up the phone and call us on the non emergency number 101, quoting reference number 227 of 24/03/19. I would also urge anyone who may have captured footage of the collision on Manse Road or of the a Grey MG in the area of the City Hospital to call us." 

During the investigation, at the 'Gate B' entrance to the hospital, a forensic tent was placed at the scene. The car was later taken away in a specialist forensic vehicle-recovery lorry.

It was suggested that police cordons at two locations nearby, at Dunluce Avenue and at an entry at the side of the Crescent Arts Centre on University Road, were linked. However, police declined to comment. The cordons were removed around noon.

Police activity in Dunluce Avenue in south Belfast after a girl's body was found near Belfast City Hospital. Picture by Maria Lyttle, Press Association
Police activity in Dunluce Avenue in south Belfast after a girl's body was found near Belfast City Hospital. Picture by Maria Lyttle, Press Association Police activity in Dunluce Avenue in south Belfast after a girl's body was found near Belfast City Hospital. Picture by Maria Lyttle, Press Association