Harbour body 'not suspicious'
Thursday, 4 September 2008
A sad moment as Carrick Harbour was closed due to a body being found BL3802
POLICE have said the death of an elderly woman in Carrickfergus harbour last week was "not suspicious". The body of the woman, who is believed to have been in her eighties and from the Taylors Avenue area of the town, was pulled out of the water close to Carrick Castle last Thursday. The body was spotted at around 8.15am.
When police arrived on the scene they called in the RNLI lifeboat to help recover the body from the harbour water.
Police launched an investigation on Thursday morning into the circumstances of the woman's death but later in the day said they did not suspect a crime.
A police spokesman said: "Police investigating the circumstances surrounding the discovery of an older woman's body in the harbour in Carrickfergus at around 8.15am today believe that the incident was non-suspicious. A line of enquiry regarding the woman's identity is being followed."
RNLI Bangor Lifeboat launched at 8.40 am to assist police with the recovery of the woman's body. A spokesman for the RNLI said: "Police were quickly on the scene and requested the help of RNLI Bangor Lifeboat with the recovery of the body from the water."
Local councillor Billy Ashe, chair of the council's maritime committee, said the incident was tragedy. "My sympathies go out to the family circle," he said.
