Man arrested after Ben Stokes’ home raided by gang when spouse and youngsters at house

A man has been arrested after England cricket star Ben Stokes‘ house was burgled.

Stokes took to social media on Monday to appeal for any witnesses after his home was raided by ‘masked men’ while he was on tour with England in Pakistan. Stokes’ wife, Clare, and their two children had been present at the time of the break-in.

A 32-year-old man from North Yorkshire was arrested on suspicion of burglary overnight, Durham Police said. He has since been bailed while inquiries continue.

Stokes appealed for witnesses on social media, sharing snaps of what was stolen. He said: “On the evening of Thursday, October 17 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 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.”

One item taken was a gold necklace with a lion pendant with the words ‘some may be better but none will be braver’ engraved on the back. Stokes’ OBE, that he was awarded for services to cricket, was also taken.

Other items stolen include a Christian Dior handbag monogrammed with his wife Clare’s initials and two more necklaces, including one with a diamond-encrusted ‘4C’ design, in a nod to the 4CAST entrepreneurial collective he founded with fellow players Jofra Archer and Stuart Broad.