A man has been arrested following a burglary at the home of England Test captain Ben Stokes while he was on tour with the national team in Pakistan, as reported by Sky Sports.
Earlier this week, Stokes posted on X, sharing that his Durham home had been burgled during his absence for the Test series in Pakistan. He appealed for public assistance in recovering his valuable items and helping to catch the thieves.
Stokes revealed that his wife, Clare, and their two children were at home during the break-in, which he described as the work of “a number of masked men.” The England captain noted that the incident had impacted his family’s “emotional and mental state.”
Among the “irreplaceable” items stolen was Stokes’ OBE medal, awarded to him in 2020 in recognition of his exceptional performances during England’s 2019 50-over World Cup victory and the Ashes series that followed. He expressed gratitude to the police for supporting his family while he was abroad.
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Stokes took to Instagram with a detailed message, writing, “APPEAL 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 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 2 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.”
He added, “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.”
In conclusion, he thanked the police for their support, saying, “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.”
Following the incident, Durham Constabulary issued a statement quoted by Sky Sports, saying, “Officers are appealing for information following a burglary of a cricketer’s home in Castle Eden. Police were called following the incident on Thursday, October 17, when the burglars are believed to have broken into the home occupied by Ben Stokes’ wife and children while he was in Pakistan.”
“The family were not harmed but the thieves got away with several items including jewellery and other valuables, many of which were sentimental. An investigation is ongoing and the family have released images of some of the stolen items in the hope it will aid investigators. If you have any information, call 101 quoting incident reference number 543 of October 17 or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111,” the statement added.
During the Pakistan tour, England faced a 2-1 series defeat. The visitors won the first Test, which Stokes missed due to a hamstring injury, but went on to lose the next two matches, ending the series in defeat.
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