A family of three are traumatised after being badly injured during a home invasion in Tulip Road. The family, who fear for their lives and wish to remain anonymous, recalled the horrific ordeal during an exclusive interview with the Ladysmith Gazette.
With tears in her eyes, the 66-year old mother and wife exclaimed that, “It was a nightmare!” In the early hours of last Saturday morning (July 27), she was awoken by her 31-year-old son, who told her he had heard noises outside and had seen the outside light flickering, which led him to believe that someone was tampering with it.
His mother told him to go back to sleep and not to worry, as she would stay awake and keep an eye on the house. She got up, switched on the kitchen and bathroom lights, didn’t see anything out of the ordinary and went back to bed. A few minutes later, she heard voices and noises outside… She got up again and so did her son.
Then they both heard banging on the lounge door as if someone was trying to break the door down.
The son phoned neighbours for help, and then mother and son went to wake the husband / father. The 63-year-old husband flew out of bed and reached for his firearm. While he was busy loading the gun, three robbers gained access into the house using crowbars.
They assaulted all three family members with their crowbars, also grabbing the father’s firearm and pistol-whipping him with it. The victims were asked for cash and were viciously beaten when they could not produce any. The son’s head was split open; the mother was hit in the face; and the father was badly assaulted numerous times, leaving him in a pool of blood on his bed. The house was ransacked by the robbers.
“Take what you want and go; please don’t hurt us,” screamed the mother as she pleaded with the attackers to leave them alone. The robbers stole a firearm and other items before fleeing the scene.
Neighbours rushed over to help the family, who were initially treated at their home by responding paramedics before being rushed to hospital.
“In the past, criminals tried to gain access into my house, but we were awake and chased them away,” says the mother. Ladysmith detectives are investigating a case of house robbery.
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