Masked gang attacks five people in Co Laois home of retailer

Five people were recovering after a four-man masked gang armed with hammers and screwdrivers attacked them in the home of one of the victims in Co Laois.

Garda sources said extreme violence was used during the attack and the gang carried out the assaults in the course of what was a well-planned robbery.

The gang struck at the home of a retailer in the area of Shaen on the Portlaoise-Portarlington road just before 10pm on Tuesday.

There were five people in the house, two men and three women, when the attackers struck.

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One of the male victims remains in the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise, where he is undergoing treatment for his injuries.

Cash and jewellery were taken by the raiders who fled on foot.

Meanwhile, gardaí in Limerick have appealed for the public's assistance in its bid to catch of a group of men who mugged a homeowner and then drove off in his car.

The 51-year-old victim had just pulled up outside his home on the Carrig Drive estate in Dooradoyle, Limerick, last Saturday night when up to three men attacked him.

The driver got out of his car and was hit on the head from behind without warning at about 9pm.

The attackers took the keys of the man’s 06 Donegal (DL) registered blue Suzuki. They drove off in the vehicle having also take the victim’s mobile phone and a sum of money he was carrying.