Intruders threaten couple with hot iron

A couple were terrorised by intruders who broke into their Middleton home.

Sometime between 6.30pm and 7.45pm on Wednesday 24 October 2012, a 57-year-old man answered a call at his home on Alkrington Hall Road North.

Two men burst in and threatened the man and his wife, aged 55. They were then joined by a third man.

The offenders put pillowcases over the victims’ heads and demanded any cash and jewellery they had.

One of the men was armed with a hammer and one offender got the couples iron, plugged it in and threatened them with it.

The gang, who were wearing ski masks, stole a quantity of cash and jewellery before leaving in an unknown direction. One is believed to be white and another mixed race

The couple were left tied up in the address and were only able to raise the alarm about an hour after the intruders had left.

Detective Inspector Andy Butterworth, said: “The couple were having a quiet night at home when their lives have been turned upside down by these intruders.

“The men have made threats and used excessive violence against them to steal their personal belongings.

“The community will understandably be worried when they learn of this incident and I want to reassure them that crimes like this are rare but when they do happen we will use all the resources available to us to investigate them.

“I want the public to work with us to identify these men and if anyone saw them leave the area, has any information about their identity or has heard anyone talking about this incident before or after it happened please call us in complete confidence.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 4644 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.