OAP STABBED AND SHOT BY BRUTAL GANG

It was the second time in five months that the pair, who are in their late seventies/early eighties, had been robbed.

In the latest incident, William and Andrew Stewart, were held captive in their Crankill Road home as it was robbed by a gang of four masked men just after 11pm.

At least two of the gang, who broke in through a back window of the property, were armed and one of the victims was hit with a screwdriver before being shot in the hand with a starter pistol, leaving him with bruising.

The brothers were held in a downstairs room as the gang ransacked the house before making off with cash and a shotgun.

All four men were said to have Ballymena accents.

DUP Councillor, Alderman Sam Hanna, a neighbour of the men, visited them at the weekend and said they were “very shocked”.

“These are very private people who never bothered anybody in their lives, it is an absolute disgrace and unbelievable that there are thugs in this country that can carry out such attrocities.

“It is terrible what these old people have been put through and I totally, totally condemn it”.

Mr Hanna said Andrew Stewart, a man in his late seventies, had “got the worst of it”.

“They had been sitting dozing and when they opened their eyes these boys were in the house,” he said.

Mr Hanna said he believed those responsible for the robbery on Friday night could have been involved in a similar attack on their home back in October. He said he also believed the robbers to be local.

“These boys are not strangers,” he said.

SDLP North Antrim MLA Declan O’Loan has expressed concern at the second robbery of the siblings at their home within a few months.

He said: “This was a terrifying incident for the two brothers especially when one was shot in the hand with a starting pistol, no doubt to force him to reveal where money was concealed.

“I hope that everything possible is being done to give them support and advice to help them recover from this traumatic ordeal.

“There must be some local knowledge involved on the part of the criminals involved. Anyone with any knowledge or suspicions has a public duty to bring that to the police,” said Mr O’Loan.

“There is a lesson too that only small amounts of cash should be kept around the house. Even the suspicion that larger sums are available is enough to tempt criminals,” said the Assemblyman.