Family terror as group attacks home

on 29/10/2012 00:00:00

The incident occurred at about 12.45am yesterday at a house in Ennis, Co Clare, which is known to have been targeted previously.

The windows of a car parked outside the house were smashed before the gang turned their attention to the downstairs windows, breaking most of them also.

The gang roared abuse at the occupants before fleeing the scene.

Gardaí were called but the gang had already left in a car by the time they arrived.

Nobody was injured in the incident but the family was said to have been shaken by the attack.

The damaged vehicle was removed from the house for a technical examination while gardaí returned later in the morning to the speak to the occupants.

A Garda crime scene examiner also visited the house while it is understood that a pick-axe handle was recovered from the garden of the house.

According to one neighbour: "There were a number of men and you could hear them shouting but no one went out to see what was going on.

"You could hear the smashing and they shouted some things before taking off again.

"It went on for a few minutes and while it's awful to see this kind of thing happening in your neighbourhood, it must have been terrifying for the children in the house."

The semi-detached home, occupied by a man, his partner and their young girls, was targeted in a similar incident in the early hours of last New Year's Day.

Gardaí are continuing their investigation into the latest incident.