Two homes burgled in Barnstaple

Homeowners assaulted

Two homes have been burgled in Barnstaple in the same street on the same night - with the occupants assaulted.

Both took place in properties in Gloster Road in the Newport area of the town in the early hours of the morning of Saturday 16 October.

In the first case around 1 a.m. two suspects, one of whom was said to be carrying a knife and both are thought to be men, entered a ground floor flat and demanded money from the occupants and assaulted them with spray paint. They left with some cash and headed down the road away from the Newport Road end.

In the second reported incident between 4 a.m. and 4.30 a.m. two men entered another flat, assaulted a man inside, threatened him with a knife and demanded money. They took his wallet, which contained a significant amount of money, some keys and a mobile phone.

The victim's car was stolen but it has since been recovered by police.

The two incidents are thought to be connected but isolated.

One suspect is male, about 5ft 7ins tall, of slim build, possibly with a Birmingham accent. He was wearing black tracksuit bottoms, a black hooded jumper and a dark balaclava. He was also reported to be carrying a blade that was said to be around 8ins long, which had a slight curve to it.

The second suspect was also male, about 5ft 11ins tall, and of slim build. He was wearing black tracksuit bottoms, black hooded jumper, a dark balaclava and black gloves.

If you witnessed either incident or have any information that could help the police with their enquiries, please email 101@dc.police.uk or call 101, quoting crime reference CR/090065/21 for the first case or CR/090230/21 for the second.

Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or via the charity’s website at www.crimestoppers-uk.org