Man charged with murder of woman in North

A man was tonight charged with the murder of a 40-year-old woman in Portadown.

The victim’s body was discovered at a house in the Manor area of the town, off the Brownstown Road, yesterday.

A PSNI spokeswoman said a 45-year-old man was charged with murder after the results of a post mortem.

He is due to appear at Craigavon Magistrates Court on Monday.

The victim was named locally as mother-of-three Suzanne Harper.

Her body was discovered in her home in a quiet cul-de-sac at around noon. Police have not released the cause of death.

Portadown councillor Gladys McCullough, a neighbour of the victim’s family, said everyone is in shock.

“People just can’t believe it,” she said.

“She was a lovely wee girl, in her looks and in her way. She was a lovely girl and an excellent mother.”

Mrs Harper’s family also live in the locality and are said to be devastated.

“It’s so, so difficult. It’s bad enough for us who just knew her but you couldn’t imagine what her family are going through,” continued Mrs McCullough.

“This is a tragedy for everyone concerned. It’s so difficult to believe when you know someone so well.”