A MAN in his 20s has been charged with the murder of a woman in an apartment in Limerick City this past Tuesday (April 4).
The 26-year old accused is scheduled to appear before Belfast Magistrates Court this morning (Saturday), charged with the murder of Geila Ibram.
Ms Ibram (26), a native of Romania, was found stabbed to death inside an apartment building on the Dock Road on April 4.
Gardaí said members of Ms Ibram’s family formally identified her body on Friday at the morgue in University Hospital Limerick.
The mother of four travelled to Limerick about three weeks ago, after she visited a relative in Germany, members of her family told a Romanian television news station.
The alleged killer was apprehended by members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) on Thursday.
“Detectives from the Police Service’s Serious Crime Branch, who are assisting An Garda Síochána with the murder investigation of a woman in her 20s in Limerick, have charged a man to court,” said a PSNI spokeswoman.
“The 26-year-old has been charged with murder contrary to common law and Section One of the Criminal Jurisdiction Act 1975,” she said.
“He is due to appear before Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Saturday morning, 8th April. As is usual procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.”
The man was charged by detectives in Northern Ireland under specific legislation which covers serious criminal offences, including murder that is committed in another jurisdiction.
This legislation allows the Police Service to subsequently follow the criminal justice process in the North’s jurisdiction if a suspect has allegedly fled there from a different jurisdiction in which the offence has taken place.
Gardaí released a statement in the yearly hours of this morning naming Ms Ibram, including a photograph of the deceased provided with the consent of her family.
A Garda spokesman said Limerick Gardaí were “continuing to investigate the murder of 26 year-old Geila Ibram from Romania”, adding that they were “continuing to liaise with their colleagues in the PSNI at this time”.
“Investigating Gardaí have now completed technical examinations which had been taking place at two separate scenes.”
Earlier on Friday, a senior Garda source said that Gardaí believed Ms Ibram’s killer to have acted alone.
It is understood that detectives attached to Limerick’s Divisional Headquarters travelled to the North to assist the PSNI in their investigation.
Back in Limerick, Gardaí continued house-to-house enquiries, and were harvesting CCTV from the Dock Road and O’Curry Street areas, in addition to other locations in the city.
The footage was being examined in order to trace the movements of a man seen acting suspiciously in the area between 1pm and 2pm on the day of Ms Ibram’s death.
Gardaí did not comment on whether or not they had recovered a murder weapon. Search teams combed a stretch of the Dock Road, O’Curry Street, and Henry Street searching for evidence earlier in the week, while forensic investigators examined two locations – the apartment in which the woman’s body was discovered and a nearby business premises.
Gardaí continue to appeal to any person who may have information or camera footage that can assist with this investigation. Gardaí can be contacted at Henry Street Garda Station on 061 212 400, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.
