Female tourists violently assaulted on Australian beach

Two female backpackers from Europe were savagely attacked on a remote Australian beach by a travelling companion they had met hours earlier, police said.

A 59-year-old Australian man was charged with a string of offences, including attempted murder and unlawful sexual intercourse following the attack that left both women, aged in their 20s, in hospital.

It was reported that one of the backpackers told her rescuers that one of them was hit over the head with a hammer during their ordeal, while the other was driven over in a vehicle.