A WOMAN was hospitalised with head injuries at the weekend after she was punched in the face and repeatedly knocked to the ground in Newcastle.
Police were called to King Street McDonald's on Sunday just after midnight to reports a woman in her 20s had been assaulted.
According to the police report, the woman was sitting outside the restaurant with a friend when they were approached by a Danish national currently touring the country. The man, who was unknown to the two women, struck up a conversation before the situation escalated and the man allegedly pushed one of the women to the ground. She got back on her feet before she was punched in the face, and again knocked to the ground, where she hit her head on the concrete. The assailant then left the area on foot and police and paramedics were called to the scene.
The woman was treated for bleeding to the mouth, a facial injury on her right cheek, swollen face and possible head injury before being transported to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition.
Police used CCTV footage from the restaurant to track the offender. They located a man sleeping in a nearby camper van. He was arrested and taken to Newcastle Police Station where he was later charged with reckless wounding and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The man, a Danish national who was due to depart the country on August 17, appeared in Newcastle Local Court on Sunday and was refused bail.
