Northern Ireland

'Shock and sadness' at murder of north Belfast mum-of-four Caoimhe Morgan

Mother-of-four Caoimhe Morgan (30)
Mother-of-four Caoimhe Morgan (30) Mother-of-four Caoimhe Morgan (30)

POIGNANT messages and flowers have been laid at the scene where a mother-of-four was found murdered in north Belfast.

The body of Caoimhe Morgan (30) was discovered in a house in Harcourt Drive in the Old Park area of the city.

A 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday and remains in custody.

Yesterday, the scene remained cordoned off as police continued investigations and forensic officers removed bags of items from the house.

A double buggy could clearly be seen in the driveway of the home.

Among the floral tributes was one which read, "RIP Our Caoimhe. Will never forget you. Your big cousin Shauna xoxo".

Dozens of tributes were also paid to Ms Morgan on Facebook, with one describing her as "such a lovely girl" and "brilliant mummy".

A relative wrote, "heartbreaking news, still can’t believe it, rest easy beautiful" while another post read, "Look after your four precious kids Caoimhe Morgan until we meet again, hope you're at peace and granny and granda are looking after you. I'll never forget or get over this".

The SDLP's north Belfast MLA Nichola Mallon said the community was "deeply shocked" by what had happened.

“My thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends at this extremely distressing time as they cope with the worst news any of us can imagine,” she said.

Sinn Féin MP John Finucane also said the local community was "in shock".

"A police murder investigation is under way and I would call on anyone with any information which may help those inquiries to contact the PSNI,” he said.

The Workers’ Party Northern Region said it was "deeply shocked and saddened", adding that Ms Morgan was "the twelfth woman murdered" since the pandemic began last year.

"The prevalence of domestic violence and abuse across all sections of society, north and south, has dramatically increased during Covid lockdowns and resources for survivors of domestic abuse are severely lacking, with thousands of women and children unable to access emergency refuge accommodation," a statement said.

"Ending the scourge of domestic violence must be a priority to ensure a healthy society. It is vital there is an immediate increase in funding and capacity in domestic violence refuges and a comprehensive strategy to tackle violence against women."

In a tweet, Women's Aid NI said it was "devastated that another tragedy has happened, the death of another woman".

It urged anyone who needed support to contact the organisation.

Meanwhile, police have appealed to anyone with information on the murder to phone them on 101, quoting reference 790 18/12/21, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.