A 15-year-old boy and his father are in a life-threatening condition in hospital after two masked men attacked them inside their own home in Thurnby, Leicestershire, in what police have described as a "completely unprovoked" assault.
Officers were called to a property on Station Road just before 12.30am on Thursday after reports that two masked men had forced their way in and attacked the occupants. The teenager and his father, a man in his 50s, remain in a life-threatening condition, Leicestershire Police confirmed.
Mother and children escape serious harm
The boy's mother, a woman in her 40s, sustained minor injuries to her hand and shoulder during the ordeal but has since been discharged from hospital. Three other children present in the property at the time escaped unharmed.
Armed officers were dispatched to the scene, though the masked attackers had fled before they arrived. By Friday afternoon, a forensic investigation vehicle was spotted outside the cordoned-off address, where a police officer stood on guard.
Police appeal for witnesses
Detective Inspector Lorna Granville, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said the assault appeared to have been "completely unprovoked" and that officers are working to establish a motive.
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."
Granville made a direct appeal to people in Thurnby and the surrounding communities to come forward with any information, including anyone who was driving in the area and captured anything on a dashcam, or anyone with CCTV or doorbell footage.
Residents frightened by the incident
Several residents living close to the scene said they were too frightened to speak to journalists, describing feeling deeply unsafe in the area. One man, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was woken by the flashing lights of police vehicles and ambulances.
He told the Press Association: "We're really frightened and very concerned, and we're concerned for the people and all the children that were witnessing it. They're very nice people who keep themselves to themselves and (are) good neighbours."
A major incident portal has been set up by the force, and details can be submitted at mipp.police.uk/operation/33EM26I90-PO1.
