A man sustained face, head and hand injuries after reportedly being attacked by three masked men who had a knife in west Belfast last night (Monday).
Two adults and a young child were in the house at Britton’s Parade in Ballymurphy at the time.
The aggravated burglary occurred just after 10:15pm.
One of the masked men is reported to have gone into the living room and grabbed the woman by her neck and forced her upstairs where he carried out a search.
The other two suspects made their way into the kitchen area where it was reported they attacked the man with a knife. The man sustained injuries to one of his hands, and to his face and head, according to police.
The intruders subsequently made off on foot.
The man was taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries, while the woman was also treated in hospital for shock.
Detective Sergeant Dave Stewart said this was a brutal and vicious attack which must have been a frightening experience for the occupants of this house, who have understandably been left shaken by their ordeal.
“I want to appeal to anyone who was in the Britton’s Parade area last night and saw three males acting suspiciously, in the time before the incident was reported to us or in the period afterwards,” he added.
“If you have information you believe may assist our investigation, call detectives at Musgrave on the non emergency number 101, quoting reference number 1395 of 01/04/19.”
Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.
Detectives appeal for information after the report of an aggravated burglary in west Belfast last night (Monday 1 April). https://t.co/qWhfotDyOY
— PSNI West Belfast (@PSNIBelfastW) April 2, 2019