Gardaí are investigating an aggravated burglary at the home of RTÉ presenter Marian Finucane. She was not in the home in Co Kildare at the time but her son was attacked by the raiders and received medical treatment.
Three men were reported to have broken into the house near Punchestown at 4am yesterday, just hours after Ms Finucane had left the country on a short break with her partner John Clarke.
Their 20-year-old son was tied up and badly beaten. A source close to the incident said: "He was brought to Naas General Hospital where he received treatment for a head injury. He got a number of staples in the head and as well as being badly bruised, he bled extensively."
The men were described as being between 5ft 10in and 6ft in height and spoke with Dublin accents. It is understood they were not armed.
They were in the house for up to an hour before fleeing on foot. They made off with a small sum in US dollars and some euro as well as a couple of mobile phones. Gardaí were contacted after the young man freed himself and alerted a neighbour.
Ms Finucane and Mr Clarke were expected to arrive back in Ireland within the next 24 hours.
While it was originally thought that the house was targeted, it was later revealed that the gang could have been trying to gain access to other houses in the area.
A Garda spokeswoman said she could not give any information about the case. "I can confirm that gardaí are investigating an aggravated burglary in the Punchestown area," she said.
The spokeswoman said that no one had been arrested in relation to the incident. She said gardaí were appealing for information from anyone who may have seen anything suspicious.