Father is tied up during robbery terror

The man, who was also beaten with a hammer and kicked in the face by a group of masked men, was attacked in front of his wife and three young children on Saturday evening.

Four masked men carrying knives and a hammer entered the house at Drumbane Rd shortly before 8pm, demanding money and tying up the man and another male relative. The rest of the family were forced into a room, as were two other relatives who called to the house as the robbery was taking place. The gang escaped with more than £1,000 in cash, a car, electrical items and jewellery. It is believed two other gang members remained outside the house during the incident.

With a black eye, and his wrists still marked by cable ties, the man showed bruising to his back left by the hammer assault. He said his first instinct was to “grab the kids” when the back door suddenly opened and the gang entered.

“I didn’t have time to think, it all happened in seconds,” he said, explaining that his family was herded into a back room. “They wanted money. They kept shouting: ‘Where’s the money, where’s the money?’

“They kicked me in the face and hit me with the hammer multiple times.”

The victim said he was particularly frightened when he heard the robbers talking about opening up a car boot, worrying that they were planning to kidnap his children. “They filled the bath with cold water. They said they were going to electrocute me in the bath.”

He said he realised when the gang spent time looking for a plug that they hadn’t planned their assault carefully. “I don’t think any of them knew what they were doing,” he said. “They were eejits.

“They even emptied the children’s money box. Scumbags is too good a word for them. They made a mistake by leaving their hammer behind, so hopefully police will get something from that.”