Parochial House Ransacked By Man Armed With Axe

An investigation has been launched after a man armed with an axe burgled a parochial house in north Belfast.

It is understood that in the early hours of this morning, Monday, 01 October, a priest at St Vincent de Paul Church who lived in the house, was awoken by a noise and then heard a man's voice.

The man is said to have been heard calling to a "small, thin, dark-coloured dog, before he fled the scene and ran in the direction of the Ligoniel Road.

A search of the house found a hatchet and shovel, believed to have been left behind by the man.

No-one was injured in the incident but a number of rooms in the house were ransacked and cash and keys were taken.

Sinn Féin Councillor Ryan Murphy has said he is relieved no one was hurt during the incident: "The Parochial House and the church at St Vincent de Paul were broken into around two o'clock this morning.

"The raiders ran off after being disturbed by the priest who had wakened during the break in.

"The thieves stole car keys for the priest's vehicle and a minibus used by the local community and a sum of money.

"This was a terrifying incident for the priest and I'm relieved that he wasn't hurt in the incident.

"Breaking into someone's home is always traumatic for the victim but is even more shameful that anyone would break into an amenity widely used by the local community.

"I am appealing to anyone with information on this incident to bring it to the police so these individuals can be taken off the streets."