England cricket captain Ben Stokes revealed that while he was in Pakistan for the recent Test series, a masked gang broke into his home in Castle Eden, County Durham. His wife and two young children were inside during the burglary on October 17, but fortunately, they were unharmed. However, the family lost many “sentimental” items, including Stokes’ OBE medal, awarded in 2020.
Stokes shared photos of some of the stolen possessions, including his OBE medal, necklaces, a ring, and a designer bag, in hopes of identifying those responsible. He emphasised that his primary reason for posting the images wasn’t the return of material items but rather to bring the perpetrators to justice. Stokes remarked that the incident had impacted his family’s emotional well-being, and they were left thinking about how much worse it could have been.
The day after the break-in, England lost to Pakistan in the second Test, where Stokes scored 37. He returned to the UK after the third Test, in which Pakistan claimed the series 2-1. Stokes urged anyone with information to contact Durham Constabulary at 101, quoting crime reference CRI00575927.
He joins a list of sports stars whose homes have been targeted, including footballer Raheem Sterling, whose home was burgled during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.