A mother screamed 'my husband is dying' after masked men burst into her home and attacked her family in a 'terrifying' home invasion. A 15-year-old boy and a man in his 50s are fighting for life in hospital after being stabbed in their own home in a 'completely unprovoked' attack.
Armed police responded to the reports in Thurnby, Leicestershire, shortly after midnight on Friday. Speaking to Sky News, a neighbour and eyewitness said: 'It was like a horror scene, we heard shouting, screaming, banging noises – it woke us up. We saw two men come out of the house running. It was so dark – they disappeared.'
Attack left family injured
Detectives said two masked men entered the address and attacked three people inside. The older victim suffered several stab wounds while the teenager was also knifed. The boy's mother and the man's wife, a woman in her 40s, suffered minor injuries to her hand and shoulder during the incident and has since been discharged from hospital, while three other children who were in the house were not injured.
Police said the suspects had left the scene by the time armed officers arrived and no arrests have been made. Detective Inspector Lorna Granville, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), said the attack appears to have been 'completely unprovoked' and officers were trying to understand the motive of the attack.
Police appeal for information
She said: 'This was a violent attack against a family in their own home which appears to have been completely unprovoked. Our investigation to understand what happened and why – and identify those behind such a horrific criminal act – is going to continue over the weekend. I'm making a direct appeal to people in Thurnby and the surrounding communities to come forward with any information if they haven't already done so. We owe it to the victims to locate the perpetrators and bring them to justice.'
Granville added: 'I'd like to speak to anyone who may have seen or heard anything suspicious, unusual or untoward in the area of Station Road and Somerby Road between 11pm on Wednesday and the early hours of yesterday morning. This includes anyone who was driving in the area and captured anything on a dashcam or anyone with CCTV or doorbell footage. Anything you're able to provide, no matter how insignificant you think it might be, could help us.'
Neighbours describe shock
One neighbour said: 'You hear about things like this on the news, but you never expect it to happen near you. It was terrifying. It sounded like a huge fight or something and that's when I saw two people running out of the house and onto their driveway. Of course, we don't feel safe after this. How can anyone feel safe after hearing this happen next door?'
Another neighbour said: 'Thurnby is usually such a quiet area that you'd never expect something like this to happen; it's shocking. I just truly hope they are alright, as they are a lovely family.' A further neighbour added: 'It's frightening to see. You really don't expect something like this to happen outside your home. You hear of burglaries and car thefts but nothing as extreme as this. It couldn't have happened to a nicer family, as well. I do still feel safe here, I mean, we even have a weekly newsletter that lets us know what's happening, so it's truly shocking.'
