Man shot with crossbow while fixing satellite dish on his roof in Wales

'This is a highly unusual incident for this area,' says detective leading investigation

The attack took place in a remote location off South Stack Road near Holyhead, Wales (Google)

A 74-year-old man was shot with a crossbow while fixing a satellite dish on his home, say police.

The pensioner suffered “significant life-threatening injuries” and is in a critical condition at hospital following the attack, early on Friday morning.

He managed to get back inside his house, which is in a remote area near Holyhead, and raise the alarm shortly after midnight.

Hospital staff alerted North Wales Police after an examination confirmed his injuries were consistent with being hit by a crossbow bolt.

Detectives are appealing for witnesses who were near South Stack Road between 6pm on Thursday and 4am on Friday.

“This is a highly unusual incident for this area and we are determined to find whoever was responsible for this as a matter of urgency,” said Detective Chief Inspector Brian Kearney from North Wales Police.

“The property in in an extremely remote location near to the junction of Porthdafarch Road and Plas Road.

“He was outside his home as he was attempting to fix a satellite dish when he was hit.

“He managed to make his way into his home where the alarm was raised at 12:34am and colleagues from the Welsh Ambulance Service transported him to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor where he remains in a critical condition.”

Police are also appealing for information from local residents who live in the area or have private CCTV cameras, or motorists with dashcam footage.

“We are in the early stages of our investigation and are working hard to establish the circumstances behind this incident,” said DCI Kearney.

“A number of enquiries are underway involving detectives from CID, the local policing teams and Crime Scene Investigation.”

DCI Kearney added that northwest Wales “remains one of the safest places in the UK”.