Eight men have been arrested in connection with the attempted murder of a couple in Newcastle, police have said.
A man and a woman in their 60s were found with serious injuries inside a property in Durham Street in the city’s Elswick area at around 6.45pm on Friday.
The woman sustained serious head injuries and remains in hospital in a critical condition, while the man is in a stable condition.
A man in his 30s was initially arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, Northumbria Police said on Saturday, before announcing seven further arrests on Sunday. All eight men remain in custody.
Five of the men – two in their 20s, two in their 30s, and one in his 40s – have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
A man in his 50s has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, while two other men – one in his 40s and one in his 60s – have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
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Detective Chief Inspector Mark Atherton, the senior investigating officer in the case, said: “Eight suspects are now in custody being questioned, and I would like to reassure our communities extensive inquiries into this serious incident have already been carried out.”
Police are urging anyone with information to come forward and have issued an appeal for people who saw a red Renault Twingo car, which was allegedly stolen.
The vehicle is believed to have been parked in the West End of Newcastle between 6.30pm and 8pm on Friday before being found in the Longbenton area on Saturday morning.
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“We would like to thank everyone who has already come forward and as part of our investigation we are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen the Renault Twingo,” DCI Atherton said.
“Any information – no matter how insignificant it may seem – could prove vital to establishing exactly what happened that evening.”
