Man appears at court accused of attempted murder following 'suspected racist attack' in Coleraine
A man has been charged with attempted murder after a man sustained head injuries in a suspected racist attack in Coleraine.
Clark Dobbin (31), of Laurel Hill Gardens in Coleraine, is charged in relation to June 3 this year.
He appeared at Ballymena Magistrates Court on Thursday (June 5) via video link from a police station.
He is charged with attempted murder and aggravated burglary with intent to commit grievous bodily harm; possession of an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence; criminal damage; affray; and using behaviour likely to cause fear by 'using a racist swear'.
No details of the background to the case were given to the court. No application for bail was made and the defendant was remanded in custody to appear at Coleraine Magistrates Court on June 30.
In a press release on June 4, police had said: "Detectives in Coleraine, investigating the report of a serious assault and an aggravated burglary on Tuesday 3rd June, have arrested a man.
“Officers received the first report that a man had assaulted another man in the Drumard Drive area of the town shortly after 10.15pm on Tuesday night. As a result of the assault, which is being treated as a racially motivated hate crime, a man aged in his 40s was taken to hospital for treatment to head injuries.
“A second report was received a short time later that a man, matching the description of the suspect in the earlier assault, had forced entry to a house at Laurel Hill Gardens and threatened a man and woman inside with a hammer.
“Officers attended and conducted a search of a nearby house and arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of a number of offences including grievous bodily harm with intent, aggravated burglary with intent to commit grievous bodily harm, possession of an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence and affray.”