Ashley Cole ‘tied up with cable ties’ as robbers threatened to ‘cut his fingers off’ during ‘ruthless’ £500,000 raid

FORMER footballer Ashley Cole and his partner Sharon Canu were subjected to a terrifying knifepoint ordeal when a gang raided their home and threatened to "cut his fingers".

Kurtis Dilks, 34, is alleged to have robbed former England defender Mr Cole, 40, and his partner Sharon Canu of watches, mobile phones, cash, a Gucci bag, headphones and a BMW smart key during a break-in at their home in Fetcham, Surrey, in January 2020.

Cole had his hands tied behind his back by the gang wearing camouflage clothing and demanded jewellery and watches - with one plier-wielding attacker suggesting: "Let's cut his fingers".

Cole's hands were also 'bizarrely' doused with odour eliminator Febreze in an apparent bid to destroy DNA evidence, before the group of up to six men fled the home when police arrived.

Sharon Canu, Cole's girlfriend, had managed to dial 999 when the couple realised they were being burgled as they watched a film together at around 9.30pm on January 21, 2020.

But until officers arrived, prosecutors detailed how the pair and their children - Grace and Jaxon - endured a "violent and ruthlessly executed" ordeal that saw Cole, wearing only a pair of shorts, bound with cable ties and forced to his knees in front of his family.

Dilks, Ashley Cumberpatch and Andrew MacDonald are also accused of conspiring to rob Tom Huddlestone's wife, Joanna Dixon, of £500,000 of jewellery and handbags, including her wedding and engagement rings in May 2019.

Jurors were told robbers tied Ms Dixon's hands behind her back at her home in Caythorpe, Notts, with cable ties, with one allegedly saying: "Don't make this difficult, we don't want to manhandle you."

Nottingham Crown Court heard that Dilks is also accused of being part of a six-strong gang who allegedly stole the £3.75million Portland Tiara from the Welbeck Estate in 2018.

The tiara was worn to the coronation of Edward VII.

Prosecutors said the theft of the tiara, previously described as a "national treasure", was a "shocking event" and it will never again be seen in its original state.

Opening the case against 11 defendants on Monday, prosecutor Michael Brady QC told jurors the home of former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mr Huddlestone was targeted in a "well-planned operation" while he was playing a match for Derby County.

Cole and Huddlestone played together at Derby in 2019.

Mr Brady said: "These defendants were to a greater or lesser extent involved in a series of extremely serious, high-profile, carefully planned and at times ruthlessly executed burglaries and violent robberies.