Man on doctor attack charges

A man has appeared in court in connection with an alleged knife attack at a County Down hospital.

Paul McCrossan, 42, of Canal Street in Newry, was charged with the attempted malicious wounding of a consultant psychiatrist at Daisy Hill Hospital in the city on Thursday.

He was also charged at Newry Magistrates' Court on Friday with possession of an offensive weapon - a large kitchen knife.

A defence solicitor told the court Mr McCrossan had left a psychiatric hospital in Armagh earlier this month.

Mr McCrossan was remanded in custody until 8 October.

Verbal and physical assaults on health care workers in Northern Ireland soared to 5,065 in 2002/03, according to Department of Health statistics.

Attacks and abuse directed at ambulance crews rose by 128% in the last year, with more than 70 attacks on paramedics in the province reported in the first half of this year.