Elderly man struck on head during aggravated burglary

During the incident - which happened at 9.30pm on April 10 - a man in his 70s and his wife, also in her 70s were tied to chairs with cable ties at their home in the Donaghbrook Drive area of Ballymoney in Co Antrim.

During the ordeal three armed and masked men entered a house. The man was struck on the head by one of his assailants. He received medical treatment at hospital and has since been released.

The armed men fled the scene in an unknown vehicle and a substantial sum of money was taken.

A PSNI spokesman said the alarm was raised when the elderly woman "managed to break free and go to a neighbour’s house".

"There were also reports of shots fired coming from the Ballybrakes area at around this time and I am appealing to anyone who may have heard a sound like shots, to contact us," he added.

"We are also appealing to anyone that may have witnessed any suspicious activity or vehicles in the area to contact Detectives at Coleraine Police Station on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 1298 of the 10/04/17. Or, alternatively if someone would prefer to provide information without giving their details they can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers and speak to them anonymously on 0800 555 111."