A luxury watch dealer has told of the terrifying moment he was attacked in his own home by masked men who stripped and beat him before stealing a £40,000 Rolex.
Shocking footage shows the four balaclava-clad men barge into the family home of Pat Hallahan, 33, as he opened the front door at his family home in Brighton.
He was then stripped down to his underwear, tied up, and violently beaten in the hallway while his wife and three-year-old son were upstairs.
She barricaded herself in the toddler’s bedroom as a man repeatedly tried to break down the door.
Luxury watch dealer Pat Hallahan has told of the terrifying moment he was attacked in his own home by masked men who stripped and beat him before stealing a £40,000 Rolex
He was then stripped down to his underwear, tied up, and violently beaten in the hallway while his wife and three-year-old son were upstairs
Thieves stole nearly £70,000 worth of goods including a 9-carat gold chain, a large collection of designer handbags and luggage, and a rose gold Rolex Sky-Dweller timepiece
Mrs Hallahan managed to call the police who arrived within minutes and banged on the door to find her husband screaming ‘help me’.
Officers scrambled a helicopter but have not yet managed to track the culprits down.
The incident was captured on a Ring doorbell camera last Wednesday evening just before 7pm.
Mr Hallahan recalled the harrowing moment when thugs told him his wife and child would be killed if he did not disclose the pin codes to his watch shop.
He told the MailOnline: ‘They tried to kidnap my wife while beating the security codes for my shop out of me.
‘If it wasn’t for my wife’s unbelievable maternal strength in barricading herself in my son’s room and calling the police – it could have been a lot worse.
‘My family will be scarred for life and these scumbags will have been rich for a day after stripping us of our possessions and beating and violating us in our own home.’
Thieves stole nearly £70,000 worth of goods including a 9-carat gold chain, a large collection of designer handbags and luggage, and a rose gold Rolex Sky-Dweller timepiece.
‘While smashing our house to pieces, they stole anything of value – there are too many items to mention,’ Mr Hallahan added.
‘As well as snatching a Rolex from my wrist, they also stole an exceptionally rare Hermes Cityback backpack – worth just over £10,000 – which is one of a very few of its kind.’
Shocking footage (above) shows the four balaclava-clad men barge into the family home of Pat Hallahan, 33, as he opened the front door at his family home in Brighton
The incident was captured on a Ring doorbell camera (above) last Wednesday evening at their address just before 7pm
Mr Hallahan, who has put up a £10,000 reward for information which leads to the arrests of the four suspects, says his life has been ‘turned upside down’ since the robbery
As well as snatching a Rolex from his wrist, they also stole a rare Hermes Cityback backpack – worth just over £10,000 (above)
Mr Hallahan, who has put up a £10,000 reward for information which leads to the arrests of the four suspects, says his life has been ‘turned upside down’ since the robbery.
‘My little boy is so innocent and my wife is the most wonderful person in the world – they did not deserve this,’ he said.
‘Although I was severely beaten for what felt like a lifetime, I am incredibly grateful that my family escaped without a scratch on them.’
After the robbery, the suspects fled via the back doors of the house – and now officers are aiming to track them down.
One of the suspects is black, about 6ft tall and was wearing a black nylon motorcycle balaclava.
Another is short and was wearing a disposable surgical face mask, a baseball cap with a hood over it and black latex gloves.
A third is white, and was wearing a khaki green tracksuit, a snood, a hooded top with the hood up and black leather gloves.
Sussex Police were called and arrived within minutes (above), banging on the door to find Mr Hallahan screaming inside. They scrambled a helicopter but they have not yet managed to track the culprits down
After the robbery, the suspects fled via the back doors of the house – and now officers are aiming to track them down. Pictured: Officers arriving at the scene
No description has been issued for the fourth suspect.
Investigating officer, Detective Inspector Glenn Taylor, of Sussex Police, said: ‘Fortunately incidents of this nature are extremely rare, and I’d like to reassure the community that we are investigating this as a targeted – but isolated – attack.
‘The victim in this case was left shaken, but not seriously hurt, and we’re doing all we can to establish the full circumstances.’