Brothers bashed in their bedrooms

Category: Bashing

Saturday, January 2, 2010
A GORDONVALE home invasion has rocked two brothers who were beaten with metal poles while other gang members taunted the boys and tapped on their windows.

The Radford family was locked in a real-life horror movie early Thursday morning when a gang of men stormed their home and hit them with steel pipes.

James Radford, 15, and his brother Shane, 13, were sleeping when two men came to their bedroom door about 12.30am.

James woke up but said before he could move, his head had been struck repeatedly with a weapon, causing deep cuts to the top of his head.

Shane heard the chaos and came to help his brother while their father Wayne wrestled with another intruder.

Mr Radford was able to subdue his attacker while the brothers slammed a gas bottle over the head of their
assailant.

The intruders, believed to be about 18 years old, managed to escape while Mr Radford attempted to call police.

The brothers say that as the nightmare was unfolding, friends of the intruders were scratching at the windows and yelling ‘How does it feel to have your home invaded’."

James received 10 stitches to his head at Cairns Base Hospital on Thursday morning and suffered a fractured hand while Mr Radford had a piece of glass removed from his hand.

"I just remember seeing him and then getting hit with a metal pole," James told The Weekend Post.

"It just happened so fast ... the only really painful part was the needles I got for my stitches."

Police are investigating the incident and have appealed for witnesses.

The boys’ mum, Tania Osborne, said was shocked by the attack.

"I hope people realise that adults attacking kids with metal poles is just not acceptable," she said.