Man murdered by gang at home in Cork

Mikolaj Wilk, who died from his injuries, and his partner Elzbieta were attacked in their home in County Cork

A man has been murdered in County Cork after being attacked in his home by a gang of four men.

35-year-old Mikolaj Wilk, who was originally from Poland, died on Sunday morning following the assault in the Maglin area of Ballincolig.

Mr Wilk's partner, Elzbieta, was seriously injured although her injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

The couple's two children, both aged under six, were at home and witnessed the assault but were not hurt.

Another woman who was also in the bungalow escaped through a window and was not injured.

The gang, understood to be armed with machetes, broke into the property at about 3am on Sunday morning.

Gardaí have appealed to drivers in the area with dash cam footage to come forward

The injured couple were taken to Cork University Hospital for treatment, but Mr Wik was pronounced dead at 5.30am.

It is believed Mr Wilk had lived in Ballincolig for several years and ran a garden maintenance business.

A BMW car thought to be linked to the gang was found burnt out at Inniskenny in the village of Waterfall, to the south of Cork city.

Gardaí (Irish police) are keen to speak to any drivers who may have dash cam footage and those who travelled in the Maglin, Ballincollig, Ballinora and Waterfall areas between 2am and 5am.

Fianna Fáil councillor Daithí Ó Donnabháin told Irish national broadcaster RTÉ: "We have a very serious incident here where men set out in the dead of night, armed with weapons to break into a house … and to cause injury and attack a man in this manner, it is very shocking and very worrying."