A father and son are in hospital in a life threatening condition after an attack in their family home which seemed unprovoked, Leicestershire Police said.

Officers were called to reports of a disturbance at a house in Station Road, Thurnby, shortly before 00:30 BST on Thursday.

The force said the man in his 50s and the boy, 15, were both stabbed multiple times by two masked men who entered the property and they remained in a critical condition in hospital.

Officers added their wife and mother – a woman in her 40s – suffered minor injuries to her hand and shoulder during the attack. Three other children who were in the address were not injured.

In the interest of public and police safety, police said armed officers were deployed but the men had left the house prior to them arriving.

The force added an investigation, led by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) to understand the circumstances and motive would continue over the weekend.

Police said they would remain in the area as officers undertake searches for anything that may help them to understand and identify those responsible.

Det Insp Lorna Granville said: “This was a violent attack against a family in their own home which appears to have been completely unprovoked.

“Our investigation to understand what happened and why – and identify those behind such a horrific criminal act – is going to continue over the weekend.

“I’m making a direct appeal to people in Thurnby and the surrounding communities to come forward with any information if they haven’t already done so.

“We owe it to the victims to locate the perpetrators and bring them to justice.”

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