Police in Coleraine, investigating the discovery of a bicycle and a bag containing a number of items in the Strand Road area of the town on Thursday, 13th February, have this evening, Saturday 22nd February, charged a man to court.
The man, aged 40, has been charged with common assault, false imprisonment, possession of an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence, domestic abuse offences, and two counts of theft.
Reports on social media suggest the bag contained items including a mask, a hammer, cable ties, a balaclava and condoms.
Earlier today, Superintendent McIldowney said:
“A significant policing operation has been in place to identify the person responsible for the discovery made by a member of our local community. Local officers have worked relentlessly through countless hours of CCTV and forensic enquiries, and engaged with a significant number of people across the Borough.
“Today we can confirm that we have a 40 year old male from the local area in police custody. He has been arrested on suspicion of a number of domestic abuse related offences.
“Our investigation is ongoing and we have been engaging with the victim and providing them with support.”
Superintendent McIldowney added:
“We take all reports seriously and are committed to making areas safe for everyone. As a Police Service our focus is to intervene early, relentlessly pursue perpetrators and disrupt any predatory behaviours in all spaces to keep women and girls safe.
“In relation to wider community reassurance I can confirm that we are not linking this to any other reports of suspicious activity in the Coleraine area in recent weeks.
“Through the planned community safety engagement event for women and girls in Coleraine next Thursday evening, we will address any personal safety concerns and actively listen to ensure the voices of local women and girls are heard.
“We have robust operational measures in place to deter those who seek to cause harm in our local communities, with targeted patrols in areas where women and girls have told us they feel unsafe.
“It’s important to note with the recent launch of the Power To Change* campaign, our local district engagement teams have been provided with an operational toolkit to take this campaign out to local community groups and sporting clubs. We are keen to work with as many groups and organisations in our communities and partners to roll this campaign out far and wide and work together to end violence against women and girls.“
The man is expected to appear before Coleraine Magistrates Court on Monday 24th February.
As is usual procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.