Woman in Northern Ireland critically injured by a drill in possible 'homophobic attack'

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A woman has been left in a “critical but stable condition” after she was attacked with a cordless drill in the early hours of Saturday morning, police have said.

A 17-year-old has been arrested in connection with the incident in the town of Strabane, County Tyrone, according to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

Detective sergeant Brian Reid said: “We are exploring a possible homophobic motive for the crime and we are appealing for witnesses to get in touch with us.”

He added: “This was a brutal attack and the injuries sustained by the victim are extremely grave.”

The 38-year-old was assaulted in the Railway Street area at around 2am, the force said in a statement.

She was taken to hospital with a very serious head injury and at present is described as “critical, but stable”.

The suspect was arrested by police a short distance away from the scene.

The force said they believe a single person was behind the attack.

“We would like to hear from anyone who may have seen a male carrying a drill in the area at around the time of the assault,” DS Reid said.

“And we would especially like to speak to anyone who may have captured footage, either on mobile phone or dashcam.”

Anyone with such footage or any other information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact police in Strabane on 101, quoting reference number 153 05/05/18.