Connacht fan 'critical' after Belfast attack

A 43-year-old Connacht rugby supporter is in a critical condition in a Belfast hospital today after he was attacked early on Saturday morning.

Paul Newton, who is originally from Roscommon but lives in Sligo, was in Belfast for the Magner's league clash between Ulster and Connacht at Ravenhill on Friday.

But in the early hours of Saturday, he was attacked in the Bradbury Place area of the city, according to police. The area is the centre of nightlife in Belfast.

A PSNI spokeswoman said detectives in south Belfast were appealing for information for anybody who was in the Bradbury Place/ Shaftesbury Square area between 3.30am and 3.45am.

"Detectives are particularly keen to speak to two females who they believe may have been in the area when the assault occurred," she added.

Family members have travelled to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, where the man remains in critical condition today.