Woman Arrested After Fatal Omagh Stabbing

A 36-year-old woman has been arrested following a fatal stabbing in Omagh this morning.

The incident happened at a house in the Hospital Road area of the town.

It is believed the 37-year-old victim, who had been stabbed, died from his injuries.

Police have said the attack took place shortly after 3am.

A PSNI spokesperson said the 36-year-old woman was helping police with their inquiries, however no more details have been release.

Local representatives have described the attack as a great tragedy, and expressed fears over the growing number of knife related incidents in Northern Ireland.

Vice Chair of Omagh District Council, Josephine Deehan, told the Belfast Telegraph: "We do not know any of the details at the moment about this incident or the circumstances surrounding it but my reaction is that it is a great tragedy, especially so close to Christmas. It is a great tragedy for the man who lost his life and for his family.

"I’d like to express my sympathies to this man’s family. This sort of incident displays a worrying trend towards knife crime."

Councillor Johnny McLaughlin said: "The circumstances of this are still unclear but it is very sad, especially coming up to Christmas."

The PSNI has led a series anti-knife crime campaigns over the last number of years in a bid to combat the problem.

In the last five years around 5,000 knife related incidents have been recorded by the police, averaging out at three attacks every day.

According to PSNI figures, knives were involved in three murders, three sexual offences, 45 attempted murders, 423 assaults, 206 robberies and 21 burglaries as well as other crimes including theft, criminal damage, fraud and forgery, all within the last financial year.

(PR)