Man arrested over race hate assault

A man has been arrested following what police are treating as a racially motivated assault and over a separate aggravated burglary in which a couple were threatened with a hammer in County Londonderry.

The 31-year-old was detained in Coleraine on Tuesday and remains in police custody.

It follows the assault of a man in the Drumard Drive area of the town at around 22:15 BST and the forced entry of a house at Laurel Hill Gardens a short time later.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the 31-year-old is being questioned over a number of offences including grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary and possession of an offensive weapon.

In the first incident in Drumard Drive, the PSNI said officers received reports that a man in his 40s had been assaulted and required hospital treatment for head injuries.

Police are treating the assault as a racially-motivated hate crime.

The PSNI said in the second incident at Laurel Hill Gardens, a man, matching the description of the suspect in the earlier assault, had forced entry to a house and threatened a man and woman inside with a hammer.

Officers arrested the 31-year-old following the search of a nearby house.

Police have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.