Family held in armed raid

Gardai in Navan are following lines of inquiry after an armed gang held a family hostage while searching their home for cash …

Gardai in Navan are following lines of inquiry after an armed gang held a family hostage while searching their home for cash early yesterday morning. The five masked men spoke with Dublin accents. All are believed to be in their late teens.

Gardai say the man and his wife awoke around 2.30 a.m. to find four people in their bedroom. The gang woke the couple's 16-year-old daughter and held her and her mother in one room while forcing the man to search the house for cash.

Gardai say four of the gang were carrying shotguns, some of which were sawn-off. The fifth was carrying a baseball bat. During the raid the man was assaulted and received an injury to an arm. He was treated in hospital yesterday.

The gang left taking a legally-held shotgun, rifle and a necklace valued at about £100.