Police have told the Omagh Magistrates Court that a woman sustained severe injuries to her skull when she was attacked with a cordless drill in a suspected homophobic attack on Saturday morning.

38 year-old Brenda McLoughlin told police she believed she was attacked by a 17 year-old male on Railway street because she is homosexual.

The attack is now been treated as a hate crime by police.

They had both been at Ruby’s nightclub and Ms McLaughlin was alone on Railway street when it is believed she was pinned down by her attacker who drilled into her head with a cordless tool.

PSNI were dispatched after an alert from members of the public that a woman was lying injured on the ground with blood coming from her head and lapsing in and out of consciousness. She was also having fits and seizures.

Police confirmed that she was subjected to the horrific attack with a cordless drill.

The detective said: “It is my understanding that the victim has since told the medical staff that she heard the noise of the drill and felt her head being twisted.

“There does appear to be some sort of hole in the skull but I cannot say how severe it is.”

Initially, her injuries were deemed to be life-threatening, she is now stable although her condition is still critical.

No damage has been caused to her brain but that there was a form of a circular hole on her scalp.

The teenager stands accused of having an offensive weapon and also alleged to have unlawfully and maliciously caused grievous bodily harm to Ms McLaughlin.

He is also accused of stealing a power drill belonging to the nightclub.

District Judge Peter King said it was a “grossly violent, inexplicably violent incident”.

The detective added: “The victim said she believed it was in relation to her homosexuality.”

The accused told police he had homosexual relatives and did not bear any ill will, his solicitor Ciaran McGuinness said.

District Judge Kind remanded the teenager in custody, to appear by video link at Strabane Magistrates’s Court on May 18th.