Teenage waiter arrested over the murder of two Britons in Turkey

A 17-year-old Turkish waiter has been arrested after two women from Northern Ireland were found murdered in western Turkey.

The bodies of Marion Elizabeth Graham and Kathy Dinsmore, both 53, were discovered in a forest near the port city of Izmir on Thursday night. Police sources said their throats had been cut.

The suspect, named locally as Recep Celik, is believed to be the boyfriend of Mrs Graham's 15-year-old daughter Shannon. Reports suggest they had started dating after the girl and her mother visited the restaurant where he worked in the popular seaside resort of Kusadasi, south of Izmir.

It was also reported that after first denying any connection to the women, the suspect confessed to the murders, saying he had killed them because Mrs Graham denied him permission to marry her daughter.

Shannon became suspicious when her mother and friend failed to return from a day trip and raised the alarm. She had not been with them as she had been on a boat trip for the day.

According to reports, Celik had taken the women for a sightseeing tour of Izmir, some 75 miles away. They travelled there by taxi and, once inside the city, the waiter collected his father's taxi and drove the women to a wooded area in the suburb of Buca, where he allegedly cut their throats.

The father of the suspect has also been arrested in connection with the murders, local media reported.

One of the murdered women is believed to have owned property in Kusadasi and was a regular visitor to the area, which is a popular destination with British and Irish tourists.

Both women were from Newry, County Down, and were travelling on Irish passports. Irish diplomats are liaising with relatives of the pair, while an official from the Irish Embassy in Ankara has travelled to Izmir.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin confirmed that consular staff were trying to track down family members.

"We are providing consular assistance through the embassy in Ankara," the spokesman said.

South Down MP Margaret Ritchie said she was shocked by the deaths and offered her sympathy to the bereaved families.

"My thoughts are with those involved in this terrible incident," she said. "And also with their families, who never got the chance to say goodbye to their loved ones. I think all the people of South Down will be saddened by this news."

Charlie Casey, the mayor of Newry and Mourne, said there was "shock and horror" within the community.

"They were two popular and well-known girls," Mr Casey said. "They were very bubbly and didn't let life get them down."

Mr Casey said Ms Dinsmore was a former Newry and Mourne District Council worker.