ByLeon Symons, Leon Symons
A Stamford Hill couple were attacked and tied up by a gang of burglars who broke into their home in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
It is believed the five-strong gang entered the Castlewood Road property through an unsecured window.
They woke the couple, who are in their early thirties. Their children were asleep in other rooms.
After tying them up and assaulting them, the gang took the keys to the husband's office in Clapton Common but failed to open it. They otherwise fled the house empty-handed.
Hackney Police said it had been "a frightening experience for this young couple. This is a very serious crime and we have a large team of officers working very hard to find the men who did this. The community is rallying round the family to give them every support."
The gang were thought to have left the house at 6.15am and police were summoned two minutes later. The suspects are described as white men of slim build, who spoke in a foreign language. Police are studying hours of CCTV footage to find out how the gang moved around the area.
Police want to hear "from anyone who was in that area between 4.30 and 6.30 on Tuesday morning". Anyone with information should contact DS Luke Pagoni on 020 7275 3232 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.