Police rule out political motive – Mayor Patrick Conolly’s stabbing case of “mistaken identity”

Police have ruled out any political motivation or personal connection in the home invasion and stabbing of Hawkesbury Mayor Patrick Conolly early this morning, saying this afternoon they believe it was a case of “mistaken identity” which led to the Mayor being stabbed in the arm during the reported home invasion by five or six men at his home in Bligh Park.

Officers from Hawkesbury Police Area Command were called to the home at 12.45am, responding to reports several men had forced their way into the home. Police found the 32-year-old Mayor with a stab wound to his left upper arm.

He was treated at the scene before being taken to Westmead Hospital in a stable condition. Police were told five to six men forced their way into the home and threatened the Mayor before he was stabbed. The men then left the scene in the family’s white Skoda along with a few personal items. Cllr Conolly’s wife and four children were home at the time of the incident. Police say they were shaken but uninjured.

“Initial enquiries have led police to believe the incident is a case of mistaken identity,” a police spokesman told the Post this afternoon at 1.45pm.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.

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