Police say a man was stabbed multiple times when he tried to help his elderly father during an alleged home invasion in Albion, in Melbourne’s west.
Officers have been told the 84-year-old father was confronted by a stranger when he went to check on his barking dog at the home on Ridley Street about 8:10pm on Sunday.
The stranger was allegedly armed with a knife and demanded the elderly man hand over his car keys.
The 84-year-old man was allegedly punched in the face when he refused.
Police said his 50-year-old son, who lived next door, heard the commotion and ran to his father’s house to assist.
It’s alleged he was stabbed multiple times during a physical confrontation with the alleged offender.
Police said the 50-year-old managed to hold down the alleged offender until officers arrived.
The 50-year-old was then taken to hospital in a serious condition, while his father was treated in hospital for minor injuries.
The accused was also taken to hospital with what police described as serious injuries.
He’s yet to be identified or interviewed.
The incident came after a string of home invasions prompted Libertarian Party MP David Limbrick to announce he would put a proposal to state parliament to strengthen Victoria’s self-defence laws to better protect residents.
“At the moment, in Victoria, there’s some exemptions for self-defence in your home,” he said.
The MP said he wanted to strengthen those exemptions to give people defending their home peace of mind.
Jacinta Allan said she did not think Victoria’s self-defence laws needed to be reviewed. (ABC News)
Premier Jacinta Allan said the state government did not believe the law needed to be changed.
“The laws in this area are proportionate,” she said.
“In the case of an emergency, the safest thing to do would be to call Victoria Police.”
She said her thoughts were with the father and son, and that it would not be appropriate to speculate on the case.
Anyone with information about the Albion incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppersvic.com.au