British police investigating the abduction and murder of a 16-year-old girl and a sexual attack on her friend said yesterday they had made two "significant" arrests.
Mary-Ann Leneghan was found dead on Saturday morning in a park in Reading after suffering a single stab wound to the neck while an 18-year-old female friend was left with a gunshot wound and is still in hospital. Mary-Ann's father, Bertie Leneghan, went to England from Bangor Erris, Co Mayo, in 1972.
Police said they had arrested an 18-year-old youth in London and another 19-year-old man an hour later in Birmingham.
"The events of this afternoon mark a significant point in our inquiries and we are pleased with the way things are going," said Det Supt Mark Warwick. Another 21-year-old man arrested in London on Tuesday is still being questioned.
Police have identified a third girl present on the evening the two girls were attacked. Officers said the girl had been with Mary-Ann and her friend. She was not attacked and was being interviewed as a witness.
The two teenage girls were abducted from a car park in Reading late on Friday evening by a group of up to six young men. Police said the third girl had left the other two before they were abducted.