A 100-year-old woman was left terrified after a three-man gang kicked down the door of her home in south Belfast, as she slept.
In one of a series of unconnected incidents in which elderly victims were targeted across Northern Ireland, the three-men - believed to be in their 20s and wearing black hats - burst in around 2am. After the raid in south Belfast, detectives at Musgrave Street appealed for information on the gang who broke into her home in Donegall Road.
One man stayed with her in the downstairs bedroom while the other two went through every room in the house. A police spokeswoman said they stayed in the house for 10-minutes before leaving empty handed.
In a separate incident in Banbridge, Co Down an 80-year-old man was confronted by four masked men in his home early today. He tried to run out the front door but the men, who all wore masks and dark clothing, pulled him back and held him down demanding cash.
Police said the elderly man was traumatised by the aggravated burglary. Officers said the men are believed to be from the Banbridge area and appealed to the community for information.
In another incident, a 70-year-old woman in Ballymena woke up between 2.30am and 3am to find a masked and gloved man with his hand over her mouth. The man, who spoke with a local accent, pulled the duvet cover over her head and demanded cash. Officers said her 70-year-old husband was not harmed in the aggravated burglary at their home at Wilson Crescent.
The robbers, who cut the electricity in the house before leaving, made away with a video recorder, two radios and a quantity of cash Police said it was believed that three other males were also involved in the robbery.
Detectives in Newtownabbey are hunting for a four-man gang after they broke into a 79-year-old man's home just before 3.30am. Police said the aggravated burglary took place in the house in the Glebecoole area in Co Antrim. One of the four raiders pinned the man down in his bed as the others ransacked the bedroom.
A police spokeswoman said: "Although physically unhurt the pensioner was left extremely traumatised by the ordeal." The four-man gang made off with a firearm, which had been legally owned by the pensioner, and also stole a sum of cash.
Meanwhile, a 75-year-old woman is recovering today after two youths broke into her home. Detectives in Lisburn are appealing for information after the elderly woman was held down in the raid at her home at Warren Gardens, Lisburn in Co Antrim around 10pm.
Police said the two young men are believed to be from the area and appealed to anyone who witnessed anything suspicious to come forward. Detectives said the woman was not hurt in the incident but was very shocked. The elderly woman's 73-year-old brother was also asleep in the house at the time.
PA