Man remanded in custody charged with murder of Sarah Montgomery

A 28-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of pregnant mother-of-two Sarah Montgomery in Co Down.

Zak Hughes, from Ardglen Place in Belfast, was also charged with child destruction during a brief appearance at Newtownards Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

Dressed in a grey tracksuit, he stood in the dock and nodded when asked if he understood the charges.

A PSNI detective chief inspector told the court he could connect Hughes to the offences.

No facts of the case were laid out and there was no application for bail.

The date of the offences given on court papers was June 27.

District Judge Conor Heaney remanded Hughes in custody until July 30.

Ms Montgomery, 27, died at her home in Donaghadee.

Floral tributes have been left outside her house in Elmfield Walk.

A 42-year-old woman, who was arrested in Belfast on suspicion of assisting an offender, was released unconditionally on Tuesday.

The death of Ms Montgomery has led to renewed focus on the rate of violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland.

She was the 27th adult woman to be killed in Northern Ireland since 2020.