'Irreplaceable': England captain Ben Stokes says his home was burglarised with his family present
England cricket captain Ben Stokes says masked burglars stole jewellery in a break-in at his home while his family was in the house and he was away in Pakistan.
Stokes announced that the break-in took place October 17 at his Castle Eden home in northeast England.
Among the items taken was his OBE - or Order of the British Empire - three necklaces, a Christian Dior bag and an engraved ring.
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“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,” he wrote on X.
England captain Ben Stokes during the loss to Pakistan. Getty
“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.”
The thieves took jewellery and “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.”
Stokes said he went public with the news in a bid to help police catch the burglars. He released photos of some of the stolen items.
A necklace taken in the robbery. Instagram
Stokes was touring Pakistan when the robbery took place. Instagram
Thieves also took off with three diamond necklaces. Instagram
“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,” he wrote.
The following day after the robbery, England were beaten by Pakistan in the second Test, where Stokes was criticised for his poor performance, with a top score of just 37 across four innings.
An engraved three lions ring was also taken. Instagram
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.
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's rugby team play in the Six Nations.
And a Christian Dior bag. Instagram
