Hainault attack: Survivor says it’s a ‘miracle’ his family survived

A man who was injured when an attacker broke into his Hainault home told the BBC it is a “miracle” he and his family were not killed.

Henry De Los Ríos Polania, his wife and four-year-old daughter were sleeping when a man brandishing a sword broke into their home on April 30.

The 35-year-old man suffered serious injuries to his hand while fighting off the intruder.

Four other people were attacked in the area, including 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin, who died from his injuries.

Los Ríos Polania said he and his wife had fallen asleep watching television on a “normal” night and opened their eyes the next morning to find a man with a sword standing in front of them.

He said: “I thought I was going to die… even my wife and my son. We thought we were going to die that morning.”

In his first interview since the attack, he said: “I think a miracle happened in that room.”

He recounted the time he looked for something to protect himself from the sword, only to find “pillows and teddy bears.”

Mr. Los Ríos Polania made it clear that he could not go into more details about what happened in the bedroom because he did not want to jeopardize the police investigation.

His wife and son were not injured, but he fears his daughter will suffer the trauma he experienced and may suffer flashbacks in the future. “I just hope she doesn’t remember anything,” she said.

Los Ríos Polania was released from the hospital on Wednesday, but will have to return for more surgeries due to the severity of his injuries.

He underwent nearly 10 hours of surgery to reconstruct tendons and veins, as surgeons battled to save his hand.

On the day he spoke to the BBC, doctors had given him the news that a finger they feared had been lost would be recovered.

Los Ríos Polania’s sister said last week that she believed he was a hero for protecting his family. She began to cry as she accepted that there was truth in this.

“I protected my family… I will do everything I can for my family,” he said.

The 35-year-old thanked the paramedics, police and doctors who “came forward” to help and said they had all done a “great job”. He added that he wanted to “thank God for keeping me alive.”

Among those injured that same morning was 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin. He was attacked a short distance from his home and later died from his injuries.

Mr Los Ríos Polania told the BBC: “I feel very sorry for his family… When I approached the ambulance, I saw him on the ground… It should not have happened.”

Three other people, including two police officers, were also seriously injured.

A man has been charged with murder and will stand trial in February.

It’s been just over a week since the Hainault attack and Los Ríos Polania told the BBC he was still coming to terms with the “nightmare”.

He has not yet returned home and fears that he and his family will never be able to face returning and will have to find another place to live.

“The local community has supported us, but we just need to find a way out, try to start again,” he said.

“We need to get on with our lives. All I know is that the next house I’m going to go into, I’m going to make it really safe. I don’t want anyone coming in from outside.”

On Saturday, Daniel’s parents released a statement paying tribute to their “beloved and wonderful son.”

They said: “We, as a family, are devastated by the loss of our beloved son Daniel. It is difficult for us at this time to process what happened to him and that he will never return home. “Daniel had left the house to go to school and then he left.

“Our children have lost their beloved and precious brother and we have lost our most beloved and wonderful son.”