A PENSIONER was hit in the face with a telephone as he tried to call for help when burglars entered his house in the early hours of the morning.
The man, aged in his 70s, was upstairs when a group of men broke into his home in Ballynahinch, Co. Down at around 3am yesterday morning.
When he came downstairs to find his house being ransacked he reached for the landline telephone but was stopped by one of the burglars who hit him in the face with the phone.
Police investigating the incident, which happened at a property in the Belfast Road area, are appealing for anyone with information about the attack to come forward.
“Sometime between 3am and shortly after 3:15am, it was reported to police that a number of men gained entry to a house via the rear of the property,” the PSNI’s Detective Sergeant Dougherty said.
“It was reported that a man in his 70s was upstairs at the time of the incident and when he came downstairs, he was assaulted by one of the men,” they added.
“He was struck on the face by the landline phone as he attempted to reach for it during the incident. The property was ransacked, but it is not clear if anything was taken.
“Enquiries are continuing, and we would appeal if anyone saw anything suspicious in the area at the time of the incident, which may be able to assist with the investigation to contact detectives on 101 quoting reference number 293 22/01/24.
“You can also submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/.”