Masked burglars break into Ben Stokes’ home with his wife & kids inside before stealing ‘irreplaceable’ treasures
MASKED burglars broke into Ben Stokes' home while his wife and kids were inside and stole "irreplaceable" belongings.
England Test captain Stokes said "a number of masked people" forced their way into the Castle Eden property in County Durham on October 17.
Thieves raided the cricket captain's house while his wife Clare Ratcliffe and their two children Layton and Libby, were inside.
Sentimental jewellery pieces and "cherished possessions" were taken in the heist including his OBE which he was awarded in 2020.
Thankfully no one in the family was injured, but the trauma has had "an impact on their emotional and mental state".
Stokes has shared images of the stolen belongings as part of an appeal.
The sportsman said he hoped it would help "find the people who are responsible for this".
He urged anyone who could have information to contact Durham Constabulary.
The 33-year-old posted pictures of three necklaces, a Christian Dior bag, and an engraved ring that have all been taken.
In an appeal on social media, the famous cricketer wrote: "They escaped with jewellery, other valuables and a good deal of personal items.
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"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 day after the home invasion, England were beaten by Pakistan in the second Test.
Stokes came under fire after earning a top score of just 37 across four innings.
The cricketer remained in Pakistan until the third Test finished last week.
Pakistan were crowned victorious with England losing by nine wickets.
This comes after Stokes had his bag robbed from him last year while travelling to watch England play in the Six Nations.
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Thieves stole the item at King's Cross Station as the cricketer journeyed from Cumbria to France.
He posted a scathing message on X and said he hoped his "clothes are too big for you ya absolute ******.";
