Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
PSNI arrest man as girl, 14, is found safe & well
Gardai end rescue alert as teen located in North
A Cross-border Child Rescue Alert for 14-year-old Svetlana Murphy was stood down last night after the teen was found safely.
A major search operation had been taking place throughout yesterday after Garda officers issued an urgent appeal.
Svetlana was located safe and well in Belfast and was due to be reunited with her family in Blackrock, Co Louth.
An 18-year-old male had been arrested by the PSNI and remained in custody last night.
Svetlana had left her home on Monday and had been missing since.
She was reported to be in the company of her 18-year-old boyfriend Nojus Maculevicius.
Gardai had issued repeated appeals every two hours throughout the day as desperate searches for the teenager were carried out across the country.
Svetlana and Nojus travelled from Blackrock to Newry, Co Down, on Monday where they were sighted at approximately 7pm.
She was spotted later in Monkstown on the outskirts of North Belfast.
Images of a silver Hyundai Veloster car and its registration were shared on social media in a bid to find the missing teen.
Gardai had expressed concerns there was “an immediate and serious risk to her health or welfare”.
A Garda spokesman said last night: “The Child Rescue Ireland Alert has now been stood down.
“Svetlana Murphy has been located safe and well in the Belfast area.
“She is in the safe custody of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and will be reunited with her family tonight.
“An 18-year-old male has been arrested by the Police Service of Northern Ireland and is currently in custody.
“An Garda Siochana is not providing any further information.
“An Garda Siochana appeals that the privacy of the family be respected at this time.
“We would like to thank the public, media and other agencies for assistance provided during this alert. No further media action is required at this time.”
Police on both sides of the border had been involved in the search.
Officers believed Svetlana was in danger and appealed to the public across the island of Ireland to help find her.
Supt Liam Geraghty had said: “It is vitally important she is found as soon as possible because we are seriously concerned for her safety.”
The teenager was last seen by her father, solicitor Dermot Murphy, in his home overlooking Dundalk Bay. That was at 4pm on
Monday and he reported her missing later that night. As Svetlana failed to respond to phone calls and messages to call home to reassure her parents she was safe, gardai issued a Child Rescue Ireland alert across the country yesterday morning and enlisted the help of the PSNI.
The authorities only ever issue a CRI if they believe a child has been abducted or is in grave danger, with their life possibly at risk.
It has only been used a handful of times since 2013, when the legislation was brought in, and normally as a last resort.
The child’s father and his ex-wife Yvonne Bagnell have been separated for five years and live at different ends of Blackrock. They share custody of Svetlana and she moves between their two houses.
Locals said Svetlana has a vulnerability about her and went missing last autumn before being found in the area after a search which involved a marine helicopter.
She was adopted as a baby from a Russian orphanage and was an only child
However, a couple of years ago Mr Murphy, who is in his late 50s, remarried and now has a new baby with his second wife.
His family have been in the legal profession in Dundalk for years and he took over his father James T Murphy’s practice.
The family owned valuable land in Blackrock on a stretch of the coast road known as “Murphy’s Corner”.
Supt Geraghty appealed to anyone
who had seen Svetlana to immediately contact the authorities.
He added: “Apart from the sightings in Newry and Belfast we have absolutely no idea where they are.
“However, we are still satisfied they are still on the island somewhere.
“She is very vulnerable and her family needs to speak to her to know she is safe.”
Dundalk Fianna Fail Senator Erin Mcgreehan, the party’s spokesperson on children’s welfare in the Seanad, said earlier yesterday: “It is really important this child is returned home safe and well.”
We would like to thank the public, media and other agencies for assistance GARDA SPOKESMAN LAST NIGHT