Gunmen strike man in his own home

A man was subjected to a horrific gunpoint attack in his own home in Middleton.

A gang of masked men forced their way into his home on Croft Gates Road on Friday (12 December), and held a handgun to his face, before attacking him with a machete and stabbing him in the back.

At about 9.40pm, the 30-year-old man heard a knock on the front door of his house. He opened the door and three men forced their way in.

They forced him into the living room with the weapons, but were frightened off by the sound of police sirens and ran off.

The victim suffered a puncture wound to his back and cuts to the head and was taken to hospital. He is in a stable condition.

The offenders were wearing balaclavas and dark clothing.

Detective Constable Jonathan Carter of Rochdale CID said: "This man opened his door to be confronted with three armed thugs who immediately attacked him.

"We can be thankful that they were disturbed because, if the attack had gone on much longer, they might have inflicted much worse injuries. At this time we are keeping an open mind about the motive.

"The victim is now making a good recovery in hospital and I want to reassure people in the local community that we don't believe this was a random attack."

Anyone with information is asked to call Rochdale CID on 0161 856 4646 or independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.