Detectives have charged three people in connection with two serious assaults and false imprisonment that occurred in Rathfriland on Sunday, 20 July. The charges follow an incident where a man and a woman sustained significant injuries.

Detective Sergeant Stewart confirmed that police received a report just after 21:10 on Sunday evening, after a woman with facial injuries was found by a member of the public in the Newry Street area. The woman, aged in her 30s, told officers she had been held against her will in a property in the Dromore Street area, where she was repeatedly assaulted throughout the evening.

Response officers, supported by the Armed Response Unit, attended the Dromore Street address. Inside the property, they discovered a man, also in his 30s, who had sustained serious facial injuries. Both injured individuals were taken to hospital for treatment. Following their arrests, the three individuals have now been charged. A 23-year-old man faces charges including two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, false imprisonment, theft, theft of a vehicle, and robbery. A 25-year-old woman has been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, false imprisonment, robbery, theft, and theft of a vehicle. Additionally, a 29-year-old man has been charged with a number of offences, including two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, false imprisonment, non-fatal strangulation, theft, theft of a vehicle, and robbery.

All three are scheduled to appear before Newry Magistrates Court today, Tuesday, 22 July. As is standard procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.

Detectives are continuing their appeal for information from the public. They urge anyone who may have noticed any suspicious behaviour in the Dromore Street area throughout Sunday, or who may have dash-cam, CCTV, or other footage, to contact police on 101, quoting reference 1453 of 20/07/25. Information can also be reported online via the PSNI's website or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.