Two people, 24 and 32, charged over death of two-year-old girl

10 August 2021, 06:04 | Updated: 11 August 2021, 05:27

By Nick Hardinges

@NHardinges

Two people have been charged over the death of a two-year-old girl in Northern Ireland.

The toddler, named locally as Ali Jayden Maguire, died in hospital on Friday after suffering head injuries at a house in County Tyrone.

A 32-year-old man has been charged with murder and perverting the course of justice, while a 24-year-old woman has been charged with causing or allowing the death of a child and perverting the course of justice.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers announced the charges in a statement and confirmed the duo will appear at Omagh Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

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The man was arrested hours after the girl, known as AJ, was moved from the house in Park Avenue, Dungannon, to the hospital on Friday night.

Police arrested the woman on Sunday.

On Monday, former DUP leader and MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone Arlene Foster spoke about the incident, writing on Twitter: "Another tragic death in the constituency, this time a little girl.

"Thinking of all those dealing with this awful event, and trying to make sense of it all."