A 96-year-old woman has been punched and tied up during a vicious burglary today. She has been taken to Letterkenny General Hospital for treatment.
Gardai say a man wearing dark clothing and a balaclava had entered her house in Aghilly, Buncrana, through the kitchen window.
He went into her bedroom, woke her up and demanded money.
The burglar then assaulted the woman, punched her in the ribs before gagging her.
He left the house with her handbag containing some money and bank cards.
The woman managed to alert gardaí by activating her panic button at 12.30am.
Two men wearing dark clothes and speaking with local accents were seen leaving the area afterwards and heading in the direction of Tullydish.
The woman was taken to Letterkenny General Hospital for observation but her injuries are not thought to be serious.
Local TD Padraig MacLochlainn, who lives very close to the victim, said he was appalled by the attack.
“All I can call these people is scumbags. To attack a 96 year old woman in her home and to punch her is the lowest of the low.
“This house is just on the edge of town and is directly across the road form a housing estate of 50 houses where I live so it is not rural Donegal.
“I would suggest that whoever did this knew what they were at and who they were targeting,” he said.
The Sinn Fein Deputy said Gardai had been making door-to-door enquiries this morning as part of their manhunt.
“The Gardai have been very active on this investigation and I would appeal to anyone who might have seen these people hanging about to contact the Gardai.
“These scumbags need to be brought to justice and people must be allowed to sleep soundly in their houses,” he said.