Gardaí in Cork are appealing for witness to an assault in the city last night in which a Spanish man in his late 30s was seriously injured.
The man was walking with two other Spaniards, a man and a woman, along White Street in the south inner city at around 10pm when they were approached by a group of teenagers and asked for a cigarette.
Gardaí have yet to establish the exact sequence of events but the three Spaniards were attacked and the 39-year-old man was hit several times around the head with a golf club and suffered serious head injuries including a fractured skull.
The man, who has been living in Cork for a number of years, was taken to Cork University Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. His condition was described tonight as "critical but stable."
Anyone who witnessed the assault or who was in and around the area of White Street at about 10pm last night is asked to contact Anglesea Street Garda station on 021-4522000, the Garda Confidential telephone line 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.