Man arrested after traffic attendant and police assaulted in Co Down

By Bairbre Holmes, Press Association

A man has been arrested after a traffic attendant was left with serious facial injuries in an attack in Newcastle, Co Down.

Police said the attendant, a man aged in his 30s, was in the Main Street area on Saturday afternoon when another man bumped into him as he left an off-licence.

The man became verbally abusive and swung a bag of bottles at the attendant’s face before leaving the scene.

The attendant sustained a number of facial fractures and a deep laceration.

The PSNI said: “With the help of the local community, we were able to quickly identify the suspect.

A 28-year-old man was located a short time later at licensed premises, at which time he became aggressive, assaulting four officers.”

He was arrested on suspicion of a number of offences including grievous bodily harm with intent and four counts of assault on police.

The police spokesperson said: “It’s appalling that a man going about his lawful business should be attacked in this way.”

They said the PSNI would be “maintaining our proactive policing presence in the area” and have asked for any witnesses to contact them.