Woman’s terrifying Melbourne home invasion

POLICE are hunting a group of African men after a terrifying night of violence in Melbourne that included a terrifying home invasion.

A MELBOURNE woman has been hit across the face and forced to sit in her front room as a dozen men ransacked her house during a terrifying home invasion.

The same men have been linked to two other street assaults on teenage boys and another home invasion in a violent crime spree in the city’s west.

The 59-year-old woman was struck across the face as the men smashed her glass door and forced themselves into her Hillside home at 11.30pm on Thursday. She was forced to sit in her front room as about a dozen men of African appearance went through her house, stealing electrical items and car keys before they left.

Earlier in the night, a 17-year-old boy walking in Taylors Hills was hit on the legs with a baseball bat and assaulted.

Police believe the same group also punched and kicked a 16-year-old boy in Cairnlea, before stealing his mobile phone and demanding the pass code. Just after 12.30am the occupants of a house in Delahey heard a large crack as a window beside their door was smashed.

Three males forced entry into the house but fled with a stolen mobile phone after the occupants armed themselves.

Victoria Police commander Russell Barrett says the crimes are “abhorrent” and “horrendous”.

“About 1.30am police detected a stolen car on St Albans Road that was believed to have been involved in the prior incidents,” police said in a statement on Friday.

After a short chase the car was found crashed into a fence and all the occupants fled on foot.

Police believe all the attacks are linked but no arrests have been made.