Detectives are continuing to appeal for information into an incident in which a severely injured man was discovered in a field on the Lisnamurrican Road, outside Broughshane, at around 8am on Monday 11 October.
Detective Inspector Michael McCoy said:
"A week has now passed since the man was found in the field, purely by chance, by members of the public. He was found with extensive knife wounds to his chest and face and had sustained fractures to his skull in which was, I believe, a deliberate attempt to murder him. If he had not been discovered when he was, he would not have survived.
“We have been conducting numerous enquiries into this incident and are making steady progress. We now believe that the man travelled from the Belfast area to Ballymena in a silver Volvo XC60, with registration plate TIJ 444, and arrived sometime between 10pm and 11pm on the Sunday night. We also believe that he has made this journey with the intention of meeting an unknown person or persons.
“He was then found in the field on the Lisnamurrican Road at around 8am, at roughly the same time the Volvo XC60 was discovered abandoned and on fire at Doury Road in Ballymena.
“I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to anyone who saw the silver XC60 Volvo, with the distinctive registration TIJ 444, being driven in the Ballymena area between 10pm on Sunday 10th and 8am on Monday 11th October to get in touch with investigators. I would also ask anyone who noticed any suspicious activity or anyone with dash-cam footage recorded in the Doury Road area on Monday morning to contact us. The direct number for the investigation team in Ballymena is 02825667228 and the reference number is 327 11/10/21. You can also submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or you can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/.”
The injured man remains in hospital receiving treatment at this time.