A man was stabbed after three masked men broke into his home in west Belfast last night.
A woman and a young child were also in the house on Britton's Parade in the Whiterock area when the men broke in around 10.15pm.
One of the masked men grabbed the woman by her neck and forced her upstairs where he ransacked several rooms.
The two other men burst into the kitchen and stabbed the man. He suffered injuries to his face, head and one of his hands.
The intruders later ran off.
Detective Sergeant Dave Stewart said the man had to be taken to hospital for treatment.
The woman was also hospitalised with shock.
"This was a brutal and vicious attack which must have been a frightening experience for the occupants of this house, who have understandably been left shaken by their ordeal," Mr Stewart said.
"I want to appeal to anyone who was in the Britton's Parade area last night and saw three males acting suspiciously, in the time before the incident was reported to us or in the period afterwards."
He asked anyone with information to contact police on 101.
