Five men, one of whom was brandishing a meat clever, forced their way into a house which was occupied by a family. The incident occurred at 9pm on Friday 8th November on Yewtree Road, Withington, a popular area for student housing.
The gang, who were all masked, kicked down the front door of the house and then confronted the startled family in their living room. One of the invaders had a meat clever whilst another brandished a hammer.
Once inside the gang targeted the occupants by removing their jewelry from their bodies with pliers. The thieves removed a necklace, earrings and a bracelet from one of the women and a watch from another victim. The jewelry stolen amounted to around £2000. After this the gang fled the house.
This burglary is the most recent in a string of attacks in the Withington, Fallowfield area that have left residents feeling uneasy about their safety.
Only a week before a similar attack took place on Brookleigh Road in Withington. Four men also brandishing weapons smashed their way through a patio door and again attempted to steal occupants jewelry. However these thieves were unsuccessful and fled empty handed.
The police have not hinted that the two incidents are connected. In both instances the thieves were described as young, wearing dark sports clothes with their faces covered. Alongside this both attacks were very similar in their style and they occurred around the same time on the same day of the week.
Detective Constable Mark Evans of Greater Manchester Police said, “The facts of this appalling burglary speak for themselves. This family have been traumatised at the hands of this gang.”
He also commented on the worrying nature of the way in which the gang invaded the families personal space, somewhere they should feel safe, “A home is supposed to be a place of sanctity however this gang have totally invaded this family’s privacy and threatened them with weapons.”
The police have increased patrols in the area and asked residents to report anything they saw around the time of the incidents.
