Northern Ireland

Man (24) loses tip of finger in north Belfast assault

A 24-year-old man lost the tip of his finger following an assault on the Antrim Road in the early hours of Saturday morning
A 24-year-old man lost the tip of his finger following an assault on the Antrim Road in the early hours of Saturday morning A 24-year-old man lost the tip of his finger following an assault on the Antrim Road in the early hours of Saturday morning

A 24-year-old man has lost the tip of a finger in an attack in north Belfast.

Police said the victim was walking on the Antrim Road with a friend when they were confronted by a group of four men at around 5.30am on Saturday.

During the assault, the 24-year-old had part of his finger severed.

It has been reported that the victim, from the Ormeau Road area, was set upon after he left a house party to call a taxi home and also suffered head injuries.

A police spokesman said: "Two of the four males involved were said to be in their late 20s and had local accents. One is described as wearing a light blue jacket and the other, a dark blue jacket.

"We have no descriptions of the other two males, except that they were also local and younger - possibly aged around 20."

The victim was being treated in hospital for his injuries.

Meanwhile, in a separate attack, police questioned a man on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent following a report of a serious assault in the St Aubyn Street area of north Belfast on Friday night.

The victim, a man in his mid-30s, was found unconscious in an alley between St Aubyn Street and Keadyville Avenue at around 7.30pm.

He had suffered facial injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment, where his injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.

A man was arrested but later released on bail pending further enquiries.