England's test cricket captain Ben Stokes. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
England's test cricket captain Ben Stokes said his house was burgled by a masked gang while his wife and children were at home.
Stokes was in Pakistan at the time with the England team.
APPEAL
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) October 30, 2024
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…
The New Zealand-born player posted on social media pictures of the missing items, which included the OBE he received in 2020.
"By far the worst thing about this crime is that it was carried out while my wife and two young children were in the house," he said on X.
"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.
"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."
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) October 30, 2024
Stokes said the burglary happened on the evening of 17 October.
The following day, England were beaten by Pakistan in the second Test.
He returned to the UK after the conclusion of last week's third Test.
Stokes appealed to the public for help in finding the stolen items which also included jewellery.
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