Two men 'assault women in County Down before hijacking spree'

Detectives are appealing for witnesses following a series of incidents across Northern Ireland on Saturday.

Police say they received reports of hijackings and assaults in the Newcastle, Lisburn, Carryduff and west Belfast areas.

They believe the same individuals were involved in all of the incidents.

At about 11:00 BST, it was reported that three females had been assaulted by two males who were in a Volkswagen Golf on the Newcastle Road in Dundrum.

This was followed by a report at about 11:40 BST that a grey Volkswagen Golf had been involved in a crash on the Old Ballynahinch Road in Lisburn.

The two male occupants of the Volkswagen hijacked a Peugeot 208 car at the scene before making off.

Shortly after, police received reports of an attempted hijacking and hijacking in the Saintfield Road area of Belfast, close to Ivanhoe Hotel, following reports of a road traffic collision.

They say they then received reports that a Renault Clio car had been stolen from its owner in the vicinity of Purdysburn Road.

The Renault Clio was reported to have been driven recklessly in the Boucher Road and Beechmount areas of Belfast before being abandoned and set on fire in Beechmount Avenue shortly before 12:25 BST.

Detectives have appealed for information and asked for anyone who was on these roads about the same time as the incidents with dash-cam footage to contact them.