Sydney mayor stabbed during home invasion was a victim of mistaken identity

Hawkesbury council’s Liberal mayor Patrick Conolly was injured in the early hours of Monday morning when six men broke into his house

The Liberal mayor of Hawkesbury council has been stabbed during a home invasion in north-west Sydney, with police saying it was likely a case of mistaken identity.

Patrick Conolly, 32, was stabbed in the arm after being threatened by a group of six men at his Bligh Park home, near Windsor, early on Monday.

Police say the men forced their way into the house before 12.45am when Conolly was home with his wife and four children. Authorities said they were shaken but not harmed.

The men escaped in the family’s white Skoda vehicle with a few personal items.

Conolly was treated at the scene before being taken to Westmead hospital in a stable condition.

Police said initial inquiries indicated the mayor was not the intended target and they believed it was a case of mistaken identity.

Hawkesbury council said in a statement “the mayor was injured during the invasion but he has received treatment and his family were uninjured”.