A pet bird was killed by an intruder to terrorise a 76-year-old man during a break-in at a house in Athlone, Co Westmeath, early on Sunday morning.
The man, who was not named by gardai, lives at Sarsfield Square in the town and may have been followed home from a social outing early in the morning.
When he arrived home, a number of people forced their way into his home and demanded money. According to the report, one of the intruders killed a pet bird, and a small sum of money was taken.