Newcastle surfer Jake Sylvester is in hospital with a serious head injury after a one-punch assault outside a hotel.
Police say the 23-year-old Merewether local had just been ejected from the hotel on Steel Street late on Friday night when an altercation broke out on the footpath.
Mr Sylvester was punched in the head and knocked to the roadway, fracturing his skull.
He was treated at the scene before being taken to John Hunter Hospital, and remains in a serious condition with a suspected brain injury.
Any witnesses to the incident are urged to contact police.
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