Politicians condemn assault on Policing Board official

Politicians from across the political spectrum have condemned an assault on the deputy chairman of the North's Policing Board last night.

Dennis Bradley was attacked by a hooded man wielding a baseball bat while watching the Eircom League Cup final at a pub in the Brandywell area of Derry.

He suffered cuts to his head and a suspected broken nose in the attack, which is being blamed on dissident republicans.

Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness said the attack was "wrong and unacceptable", while the Ulster Unionist Party described it as "brutal and unjustifiable".

Alliance Party deputy leader Eileen Bell also condemned the "cowardly" assault, while Northern Secretary Peter Hain said such "thuggery" needed to be rooted out and dealt with.