A man has been arrested following an incident which saw an 18-year-old girl robbed of her car at gunpoint.
Chloe Hawthorne was left terrified after an armed man held a gun to her face demanding keys to her car.
The teenager was at home in Redrock on her own at the time of the horrific incident.
Three men involved in the incident got away at the time.
However, police in Armagh have confirmed that they have made an arrest in connection to the incident in October 2016.
Posting online, a PSNI spokesperson said: “Some really great news to bring you tonight folks. It’s about an aggravated burglary that occurred in October 2016.
“It was part of a spate of incidents which started on the Damoily Road, Markethill.
“A gun was stolen, along with cash and jewellery.
“The next incident was when the vehicle the suspects were using crashed on the Redrock Road, in a hit and run RTC.
Twenty-four hours after her harrowing ordeal, 17-year-old Chloe Hawthorne and family invited Armagh I into their home. We were amazed by the courage shown by this remarkable young lady and we wish her well.
Posted by Armagh I on Wednesday, October 12, 2016
“This meant they needed a new vehicle, and so the most appalling part of this incident occurred- another aggravated burglary where a gun was held to an 18 year old girls head and a car stolen on the Seagahan Road.”That vehicle was subsequently recovered by our colleagues south of the border.”
“A huge investigation started, with painstaking forensic analysis carried out. Then…we got a hit.
“We had our suspect, we just needed to find him. He was circulated, and then last week circulated wider in the rest of the UK.”
They added: “This weekend, our colleagues in West Yorkshire stopped a vehicle and checked the occupants. Bingo!
“Lurgan CID had to do some swift work in getting over the water, but soon returned with our boy in cuffs.
“He was interviewed for burglary, aggravated burglary, possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, aggravated TADA and 2 counts of theft.
“He was then charged with all offences with CID opposing bail. He was held overnight and taken to court where CID again opposed bail.
“He is now remanded in prison.
“Burglary is one of the most personal crimes, especially aggravated where in this instance a gun is held to your head in your own home.
“The people who carry out such crimes have no place in society and we will work tirelessly to track them down when we can.
“This case is ongoing, and there are still more updates to come I’m sure, but hopefully this is reassurance to everyone that, even a year on, where there are evidential lines to pursue- we won’t give up.”
