Man arrested over attack on schoolboy Philip Convery

A man has been arrested in England as part of the investigation into an attack which left a Magherafelt schoolboy fighting for his life.

Philip Convery was badly beaten when two armed and masked men attempted to rob his grandmother's house on Mayogall Road, Knockcloghrim on Tuesday night.

The teenager underwent surgery and is now in a stable condition in hospital.

The man was detained on Friday and is being brought back to Northern Ireland to be questioned by PSNI detectives.

The 16-year-old GCSE student suffered serious head injuries in the attack and at one stage was critically ill.

His 70-year-old grandmother and his 44-year old uncle were also assaulted and injured during the attempted robbery at the isolated bungalow.

They were also treated in hospital.

The intruders, who were carrying a gun, entered the house at about 20:45 BST on Tuesday.

Philip is a pupil at St Patrick's College, Maghera, and had gone to visit his uncle for help ahead of his GCSE maths exam when the attack happened.

The principal of his school, Anne Scott, said the teenager was beaten as he tried to protect his grandmother and described his actions as "heroic".