30 October 2024, 17:38 | Updated: 30 October 2024, 18:04

England cricket captain Ben Stokes has revealed his house was broken into by masked burglars while his family were inside.

Stokes’ wife Claire and children Layton and Libby were in the house when the robbery took place while he was away in Pakistan on England’s recent tour.

Stokes said in a post online that jewellery, valuables and a “good deal of personal items” were taken and accompanied the post with pictures of some of his possessions.

He wrote on social media: “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.

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“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.”

Stokes appealed to his followers to contact the Durham Constabulary if they could help, before adding: “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.”

Stokes shared images of his taken possessions, including unique pieces of jewellery and his OBE medal.

One gold necklace features a lion pendant with the words ‘some may be better but none will ever be braver’ engraved on the back.

The items also include a Christian Dior handbag monogrammed with his wife Clare’s initials.