Two men charged over camper van attack

TWO men were last night charged with attempting to murder the English couple who were dragged from their camper van and subjected to a vicious hatchet attack near the Northern border in Co Louth.

The husband and wife from Skegness, Lincolnshire, were asleep in their camper van, which was parked in a lay-by just off the main Belfast to Dublin road when they were attacked at 4am on Monday morning.

The 56-year-old woman suffered a fractured skull while her husband, 61, sustained a broken arm and numerous gashes in the attack.

The couple’s camper van was then taken by the attackers and driven across the border.

The couple are being treated in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, where their condition is said to be stable.

The couple had just arrived in Ireland on a ferry from Scotland to Belfast on Sunday, and had driven into the Republic before parking up for the night.

After the assault, the van was later found in flames across the border in the North.

Shortly afterwards, two men, who police said were in their early 20s, were arrested by officers in the North after driving through a police checkpoint.

Last night, two men aged 20 and 21 years old were each charged by police in the North with attempting to murder the couple, aggravated burglary, hijacking and arson.

They will appear before the Magistrates Court in Newry, Co Down, today.

Police said they were unable to say whether the accused would eventually face a trial in the North or the Republic. However, legislation does allow for cases to be heard in the alternative jurisdiction.

It is understood the men charged come from the North.

Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern described the attack on the English tourists as “despicable”.