A MAN was in hospital with a fractured skull yesterday after being beaten to the ground during a night out.

The 23-year-old victim had been out with a friend in Newcastle and was walking along Blackett Street at about 1.30am on Sunday when he was approached by two men and a woman.

Words were exchanged and the man was hit in the face and knocked down, fracturing his skull on the pavement.

When his friend bent down to help him, he was kicked in the face.

The 23-year-old was in the High Dependency Unit of Newcastle General Hospital yesterday, where his condition was described as serious.

The man and woman with the attacker were thought to be a couple. Police said they were anxious to talk to them.

The attacker was aged about 20, 5ft 7in, of slim to medium build with short, ginger hair.

He wore a shirt, which was possibly blue, and a dark jacket.

The other man was also about 20 , 6ft and of large build with short, dark hair.

He wore a blue, long-sleeved shirt and, at the time, his arms were inside the body of his shirt, leaving the sleeves loose.

The woman was also about 20, 5ft 6in, with dark, frizzy hair.

Anyone with information is asked to call Newcastle Central CID, on 0191-214 6555