Man to be charged 'within hours' in connection with Meagher disappearance

A man is expected to be charged within hours with the rape and murder of an Irish woman missing in Australia.

Police in Melbourne said a 41-year-old suspect arrested in connection with the disappearance of Jill Meagher is due to be charged overnight.

The body of the 29-year-old woman has not yet been found.

Officers from the Victoria Police homicide squad missing persons unit arrested the suspect from the Coburg suburb of the city as the search entered its sixth day.

He is due to appear at an out-of-session court hearing in its special crime department in the early hours of Friday morning Australia time, which is early evening Irish time.

If charged, a bail justice will remand the suspect, who will then appear before Melbourne Magistrates Court in the morning.

Mrs Meagher, 29, from Drogheda, Co Louth, was last seen leaving a bar in Melbourne in the early hours of Saturday after a night out with colleagues.

Her husband, Thomas, raised the alarm when she failed to make the five-minute walk to her home less than a mile from Bar Etiquette in Sydney Road, Brunswick, after leaving at around 1.30am local time.

The case took a twist after a handbag containing several items believed to belong to Mrs Meagher was found in a lane off Hope Street. It was not discovered in an initial search of the area.

Mrs Meagher had been out with colleagues from Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio.

Her disappearance has sparked a huge social media campaign to find her, with well-known presenters from ABC helping to spread the message.

CCTV footage released by the police in Australia showed Mrs Meagher talking to a man in a hooded top on the night she vanished.

Officers had been trying to trace six people in total who may have seen Mrs Meagher after she left the bar. One man is understood to have come forward.

Reports on ABC said police have not confirmed whether they have footage showing the man in the hooded top running towards Mrs Meagher.

There has also been a witness report that a car made a U-turn on the street after Mrs Meagher walked past.

[comment]ABC reporter Hamish Fitzsimmons attended a media briefing at Melbourne's St Kilda Road police station.[/comment]

[comment]Below is a map detailing the key locations involving the disappearance[/comment]

[comment] 1 Meaghers' home – Jill and her husband Thomas shared an apartment in Lux Way.2 Bar Etiquette – Jill Meagher was drinking with work friends at this bar until 1.30am on Saturday September 22.3 Duchess Boutique – The shop where CCTV footage which has been key to the investigation was filmed.4 Handbag discovered – A passer-by found Jill’s handbag in this alleyway on Monday September 22. [/comment]