England cricket captain Ben Stokes‘s house was raided by a masked gang who broke into his home while his wife and two young children were there — and he was in Pakistan for the test series.
The 33-year-old lost a number of ‘irreplaceable’ items including three necklaces, a Christian Dior bag, an engraved ring — and his OBE medal which he received in 2020.
Stokes said his family did not come to ‘any physical harm’ in the raid but that it has had an impact on their ’emotional and mental state’.
The cricket captain, who lives in Castle Eden in County Durham, said the incident took place on the evening of Thursday, October 17.
The following day, England were beaten by Pakistan in the second Test, where he was criticised for his poor performance, with a top score of just 37 across four innings.
Stokes was in Pakistan until the conclusion of the third Test last week which England lost by nine wickets as Pakistan took the series 2-1.
He released a statement and photographs of the stolen items today, saying his ‘sole motivation’ for making a public statement is to ‘catch the people who did this’.
England cricket captain Ben Stokes’s house has been hit by masked raiders while his wife and two young children were at home and he was in Pakistan for the test series
Ben Stokes pictured with his wife Claire after the NatWest PCA Awards where he was crowned Player of the Year
A golden necklace with a lion’s head which was taken from Stokes’s home during the robbery
The back of the lion necklace with the engraving: ‘Some may be better, but none will be braver’
An engraved England ring with set diamonds which was taken from Stokes’ home
The cricketer 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 2 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.
Stokes’s behaviour and lack of form in Pakistan raised questions of whether he was alright
The questions swirled in Rawalpindi as England tried to make sense of their series defeat by Pakistan — and many of them concerned Ben Stokes
A Christian Dior bag which was taken during the robbery
A Diamond necklace which was taken in the robbery
‘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.’
This is not the first time that England’s cricket captain has been targeted by thieves.
Last year, Stokes had his bag stolen while travelling to watch England play in the Six Nations.
He tweeted angrily at the thieves and thundered that he hoped his ‘clothes are too big for you ya absolute ******.’
He had been travelling from his home in Cumbria to watch France smash England in the Six Nations when his bag was taken at King’s Cross station.
Ben Stokes in Pakistan for the Third test match in the series between Pakistan and England on October 26
In July 2021, Stokes took a five-month break from cricket to prioritise his mental health, suffering from panic attacks and anxiety after bottling up his emotions for years.
The England and Durham all-rounder featured in an Amazon Prime Video documentary in 2022 which explored his mental health struggles.
‘I never thought that I would feel like I do now,’ Stokes told Mendes in an interview conducted during the cricketer’s recovery.
‘My anxiety has gone through the roof. You are sat on the toilet in your hotel room and you are having a massive panic attack.’
The film crew captured Stokes’ most personal and challenging moments, including his final visit to see his terminally ill father, Ged, in New Zealand. His dad died in December 2020 from brain cancer.
