A man was due to appear before magistrates today charged with attacking and robbing a journalist.

Christine Harle, (50), a sub-editor with The Journal, was attacked in a car park in Newcastle after leaving work at 1.20am on Friday and was left needing surgery.

The Journal put up a reward of £5,000 for information on the assault, after learning that police are connecting the incident with two other attacks on women hours earlier.

Christine suffered multiple facial fractures as she struggled to fend off a man who escaped with her bag.

She spent more than an hour drifting in and out of consciousness before being able raise the alarm.

Police were inundated with calls from members of the public after the Chronicle published CCTV images of a man they wanted to speak to.

Journal editor Brian Aitken said: "This was a sickening, unprovoked attack on a woman who was doing nothing more than pursuing her career."