England captain Ben Stokes has appealed for information to find burglars who broke into his home while his wife and two children were present and he was away in Pakistan; his OBE and jewellery were among items stolen on October 17
Thursday 31 October 2024 17:14, UK
England captain Ben Stokes has revealed that masked robbers burgled his home - with his wife and young children present - when he was away during the tour of Pakistan.
Stokes said on social media that a "number of masked people" burgled his home on October 17 while his wife and two young children were present, with jewellery and valuables among the items stolen.
The 33-year-old confirmed none of his family were injured physically by the incident but had been impacted emotionally and mentally, with Stokes - who was in Multan for England's second Test at the time - desperate for those involved to be found.
In a statement released on X, Stokes said: "On the evening of Thursday 17th October a number of masked people burgled my home in the Castle Eden area in the North East.
"They escaped with jewellery, other valuables and a good deal of personal items. Many of those items have real sentimental value for me and my family. They are irreplaceable.
"This is an appeal for any help in finding these people who carried out this act.
"By far the worst thing about this crime is that it was carried out whilst my wife and two young children were in the house. Thankfully, none of my family came to any physical harm.
"Understandably, however, the experience has had an impact on their emotional and mental state. All we can think about is how much worse this situation could have been.
"I am releasing photographs of some of the stolen items - which I hope may be easily identified - in the hope that we can find the people who are responsible for this.
"Although we have lost cherished possessions, to be clear, my sole motivation in sharing these photographs is not the recovery of material items. It is to catch the people who did this.
"Please come forward and contact Durham Constabulary on 101 quoting crime reference CRI00575927 if you think that you have any relevant information.
"Finally, I want to say thank you to the police service. Both now and whilst I was away in Pakistan, their support for my family has been outstanding. They continue to work incredibly hard in trying to find these people."
A statement from Durham Constabulary read: "Officers are appealing for information following a burglary of a cricketer's home in Castle Eden.
"Police were called following the incident on Thursday, October 17, when the burglars are believed to have broken into the home occupied by Ben Stokes' wife and children while he was in Pakistan.
"The family were not harmed but the thieves got away with several items including jewellery and other valuables, many of which were sentimental.
"An investigation is ongoing and the family have released images of some of the stolen items in the hope it will aid investigators.
"If you have any information, call 101 quoting incident reference number 543 of October 17 or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111."
Stokes missed the first Test of England's three-Test tour with a hamstring injury but returned for the final two matches, both won by Pakistan to give the hosts a 2-1 series victory.
The second Test concluded the day after the burglary, where Stokes was dismissed for 37 as Pakistan completed a 152-run victory to level the series.
Stokes only added 15 runs across the two innings in the series decider, where he gave no public indication about the burglary after Pakistan wrapped up a nine-wicket win.
England's Test team are next in action when they tour New Zealand in November and December, with a two-day warm-up against a New Zealand Cricket XI from November 23 ahead of a two-Test series starting in Christchurch on November 28.
