Four appear in court after assault on tourists

Police said the two men were walking in the Royal Avenue area of the city at about 23:00 GMT on Tuesday when they were attacked

Four people who were charged after two tourists were assaulted in Belfast city centre have appeared in court.

The attack, which the police are treating as a racially motivated hate crime, happened at 23:00 GMT on Tuesday while the two men were walking along Royal Avenue.

Two men and two women, all from Belfast, appeared at the city's magistrates' court on Thursday.

A police officer told the court that at least one of the accused allegedly shouted racial insults at the two victims.

Cian Quinn, 28, from Southview Street in the city, has been charged with attempted grievous bodily harm and assault causing actual bodily harm.

Connil Rice, 34, from Oisin House in Victoria Parade, faced charges of common assault and disorderly behaviour.

Meanwhile, Lucy Reid, 38, of Southview Street, has also been charged with assault causing actual bodily harm, and her 22-year-old sister, Victoria Reid, with an address given as the Ormeau Centre, in Waring Street, has been charged with common assault and disorderly behaviour.

Belfast Magistrates' Court heard on Thursday that arrests were made after CCTV operators alerted the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to a group of people fighting in Belfast's Royal Avenue area.

This week, Belfast Area Commander, Ch Supt Jeremy Lindsay, said: "Thankfully, at this stage we don't believe that the men sustained serious injury.

"We're grateful that our CCTV operators saw this assault in progress and we were able to get officers to the scene very quickly.

"It's shameful that visitors to Belfast should be subject to such an attack."

Disputing the version of events advanced by police, defence lawyers argued that the alleged racial aggravation was not raised during interviews.

The judge denied bail to all four of the accused and they were remanded in custody until 27 November.