A father and son defended their Manchester home against a gang of armed thieves last week as they tried to barge their way through the front door.
At around 10.25pm on July 25, the 45-year-old homeowner was sat with his wife in the living room of his Ladybarn home when he heard a loud thud at his door which sounded like someone was kicking it.
When he went to investigate he saw three to four men at the open front door, possibly holding a weapon of some sort.
Instinctively he ran to the front door and used all of his body weight to close it and keep the thieves out.
The gang refused to give up and continued kicking at the door to try and force their way in, at which point the homeowner’s 21-year-old son heard the commotion and came to his father’s help.
Between them they managed to keep the thieves out by forcing the door shut – eventually the gang gave up and fled towards Lindleywood Road.
Detective Constable Chris Clarke said: “This was clearly an extremely anxious and frightening time for the homeowner and his family, who bravely managed to keep the thieves at bay and out of their house.
“It took incredible resistance from the father and son to keep these criminals out and thankfully they did not gain entry and no-one was injured.
“We need to find these men before they attempt to strike anywhere else so I would appeal to anyone who has information to come forward.
The first offender is described as white, about 5ft 9in tall, of a medium build and wearing a full face balaclava, a light grey jogging top with long sleeves with no zip on the front and baggy tracksuit bottoms.
The second man was wearing either a white or light-coloured tracksuit and looked to be in his late teens, of a slim to medium build and about 5ft 8in to 6ft tall.
The other two men were similarly described but wearing dark-coloured tracksuits.
DC Clarke added: “I would also ask that people in this community remain vigilant and if you spot a gang of three or four people matching these descriptions, or even suspect you know who may be involved, please call us.”
Anyone with information should call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
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