Queensland mother with 18-month-old child is attacked by armed intruders during terrifying break-in

A mother has recalled the terrifying moment she was confronted by axe- and knife-wielding intruders in her home.

Kristy Collins was at her home in Townsville, Queensland, with her 18-month-old child on Sunday when she noticed a black T-shirt out of the corner of her eye.

Mrs Collins said the sight left her in shock as she thought she was home alone with her baby while her husband was away.

She said she started screaming when she saw the man, whose face was covered.

“I started yelling, ‘Who are you?’ Go away!” the 38-year-old told Channel 7’s Sunrise on Monday.

‘I started chasing him through the inside door into the garage… as I chased him towards the back of the car, he turned around and raised an axe.

“When I was chasing him in my car, there was a girl in a getaway car and she (got out and) threw what I think was a knife and got me in the leg.”

Despite her injury, Ms Collins said she continued to chase the intruder through the garage.

She said the man had a set of her keys in his hand and she thought he thought they were the keys to her car.

However, it turned out to be the wrong set of keys for the car.

Mrs Collins was injured when one of the intruders threw a knife at her

“By that time I was screaming bloody murder at the top of my lungs, as loud as I could, because my daughter was inside,” she said.

‘I just wanted him to go away.

“It took him a while to figure out he wasn’t getting in my car…but he kept walking around trying to get in the car.”

A driver driving past the house saw the ordeal and honked the horn, prompting the two intruders to jump into the getaway car and run away.

Ms Collins was transported to Townsville University Hospital to treat her leg injury.

She had only lived on Kahana Avenue for two weeks.

Ms Collins said leaving the garage door open may have been attractive to the intruders, but people should be able to feel safe in their homes “in broad daylight” on a Sunday morning.

Ms Collins said people should be able to feel safe in their homes ‘in broad daylight’ on a Sunday morning

Queesnland Police said in a statement they are appealing for public assistance ‘following a break and enter incident at Burdell in Townsville’ on Sunday.

“Around 10 a.m., a male perpetrator, reportedly armed with a weapon, gained entry to the Kahana Avenue property before being confronted by a female resident,” the statement said.

‘The offender then attempted to flee the home while being followed by the resident, before a second offender who was waiting outside the home threw an object at the resident.’

Detectives are urging anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or may have a relevant dashcam/CCTV view, to come forward.

Investigations are underway.