An 18-year-old girl was seriously injured when she was assaulted with a hammer in Co Down, police said today.
The victim was in her flat in the Inishargie Gardens area of Bangor yesterday when her attacker is believed to have called at her door shortly after 5pm, a police spokeswoman said.
She was hit over the head a number of times with the hammer, and is in a serious condition in hospital.
The man who assaulted her is described as about 5ft 10in with a heavy build, and wearing a black fleece bomber jacket and a black monkey hat.
Police have yet to establish a motive for the attack and are appealing for anyone with information, or who might have seen the man earlier in the day to contact them.
A police spokesman said: "The girl was punched once in the face and then hit with a hammer blow, leaving her with a considerable amount of bruising on the left side of her head.
"She is obviously very badly shaken," he said.
The victim, who lives on her own, has given a description to the police but did not get a good look at her attacker, he said. She described the man as being between his late teens and early 30s.