A man whose house was being burgled in Mulhuddart chased off the intruders with a samurai sword. Picture: Arthur Carron

15/4/18 A whose house was being burgled in Mulhuddart chased off the intruders with a samurai sword. Picture:Arthur Carron

Innocent Dubliner chased three burglars from his parents' home with a samurai sword after they broke into the house last week

AN innocent Dubliner chased three burglars from his parents' home with a samurai sword after they broke into the house last week.

CCTV footage obtained by the Herald shows the thugs entering the house, and fleeing minutes later after the brave man confronted them as they made their way up the stairs.

Speaking to the Herald, the have-a-go hero - who did not wish to be named - said: "I was in my bedroom when I heard what sounded like a cannon being set off in the hall.

"I immediately reached for the katana that I had under my bed and ran straight out onto the landing, where I met the invaders head-on."

The 26-year-old man from Blanchardstown was with his parents last Wednesday evening when the terrifying incident happened.

"There were three of them and my only instinctive thought was to get them out of my house as soon as possible," he said.

"The man I confronted wasn't even wearing a mask so I got a really good description of him. The two others had their hoods up and were much harder to identify.

"But once they saw me and the weapon I was holding, they just stopped in their tracks, probably thinking they had picked the wrong house to break into."

At this stage, the man's mother came out of her bedroom and helped him to chase the intruders out of their home.

"They all bolted out the door, with one saying 'f**k you' as he ran down the stairs," he said.

"I'm just glad I was in my house at the time. God knows what they would have done if my mam was by herself."

The CCTV footage captured the thugs subsequently fleeing back to their waiting car, before it drove away without a trace.

Badly shaken by the encounter, the young man and his parents suspect their home was targeted in a case of mistaken identity.

"There were four cars parked in our driveway and it clearly looked like there were loads of people inside the house," he said.

"We're praying it's a case of mistaken identity because a month previously mam's car was badly damaged in a petrol bomb attack.

"We don't know if the two are connected, but hopefully these guys now know we're not the people they're after."

The Dubliner described the three thugs as Irish and in their early 20s.

"The lad I encountered on the landing was quite stocky with a fat face. He had short, brown hair and was wearing a light blue jacket and grey tracksuit shorts," he said.

"I didn't get a good look at the other two, but one of them was very tall and wearing a grey zip-up hoodie."

He added that the frightening incident has left his mother traumatised and paranoid.

"The whole scenario has really affected her, especially since she suspects we're being targeted," he said.

"She's lived in that house for 30 years and is afraid to go to sleep just in case something like this happens again. She won't even leave the house by herself.

"Even though we have three locks on our door, they completely shattered them and made their way in so easily.

The Blanchardstown native hopes someone will recognise the thugs in the CCTV footage and report them.

Gardai confirmed the incident to the Herald, stating: "A female reported three males unknown to her entered through the front door of a house in Dublin 15. No property was stolen in this incident.

"No arrests have been made and investigations are ongoing."

Herald