Machete robbers terrorise family

It is horrifying to think a lovely family have been put through such an ordeal

A terrified family were held captive in their bedroom as machete-wielding robbers ransacked their home in East Kilbride.

Police said the family feared for their lives during their ordeal in the early hours yesterday.

The family, a 55-year-old man, his 56-year-old wife and their son, 26, were woken at around 4am to the sound of smashing glass.

When they went downstairs to investigate they encountered four men who threatened them with violence and demanded they hand over money and valuables. One of the men struck the 55-year-old on the leg with a machete, although he did not need medical treatment.

The family were then held in an upstairs bedroom while the robbers stole cash, jewellery and car keys. The family’s 30-minute ordeal at Castlehill Farm near the National Museum of Rural Life, outside East Kilbride, has alarmed neighbours. Joseph Mccaffer said: “It’s horrifying to think a lovely family have been put through such an awful ordeal. Our hearts go out to them. “There have been a couple of incidents over the past few years, but nothing like this.

“This is generally a lovely, quiet area where people are friendly. The whole community is shocked to hear what has happened.”

The suspects left the house around 20 minutes later and joined another man who was waiting outside in a black Nissan Qashqai.

They also stole the family’s Range Rover, which was later abandoned in the Mount Vernon area of Glasgow. Police are appealing to the public for information about the robbery.