Father and son, 15, in critical condition after 'unprovoked' home attack identified

A 15-year-old and his father remain in a life-threatening condition in hospital after they were attacked by two masked men in their home in Leicestershire.

Imrane Chelirem and his father Mohamed, who is in his 50s, were injured in the incident at their Thurnby home just before 12.30am on Thursday.

Leicestershire Police said officers attended the property following a report that two masked men had entered and attacked the occupants.

The force said the incident appears to have been a “completely unprovoked” attack.

The boy’s mother and the man’s wife, a woman in her 40s, suffered minor injuries to her hand and shoulder during the incident and has since been discharged from hospital.

Police said three other children who were in the house were not injured.

Coalville Town Raptors, the teenager’s football team, said in a social media post that Imrane’s “whole football family is right behind” him.

It said: “Our football family has been left devastated following a horrific incident that has left our beloved player Imrane and his father fighting for their lives.

“Imrane is so much more than our number 15. He’s a teammate, a friend and a huge part of our football family.

“At a time when words simply aren’t enough, we want to come together and do everything we can to support Imrane and his family through these unimaginable circumstances.”

The club said it set up a fundraising page for the teenager’s family with the “blessing” of his immediate relatives.

The GoFundMe page said Imrane is a “young man full of life, personality and determination, who has built friendships and memories with his teammates that go far beyond football”.

Several residents living near the scene said on Friday they were too scared to speak to the media about what had happened, but they described feeling unsafe.

A man, who did not wish to be named, said he woke up in the middle of the night to see police and ambulance lights flashing and said the family are “nice people” and “good neighbours”.

Detective Inspector Lorna Granville, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said in a statement last week: “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.”

She said police are asking anyone with information to come forward to the force.