Man charged with attempted murder

A 35-year-old man was charged with attempted murder tonight after another man was seriously injured in an assault in Co Down.

The man will also face a charge of possession of an offensive weapon when he appears at Newtownards Magistrates Court tomorrow morning.

The charges come after a 20-year-old man sustained head injuries during what police described as a “very serious assault” in Ballynahinch in the early hours of Sunday.

The victim had been on a bus, coming home from a nightclub, when it broke down at the junction of Hillsborough Road and Magheraknock Road in the town.

The group decided to walk towards Ballynahinch, but were attacked outside a church at Lisburn Street.

Three other people were still being questioned about the assault tonight by police, while another three were released without charge.