Ben Stokes' burglars may have used video tour of mansion cricket icon starred in
England Test captain Ben Stokes revealed earlier this week his house had been burgled while he was away in Pakistan with his wife and children still inside
by James Whaling · The MirrorIt is feared the burglars who broke into Ben Stokes' house and stole a clutch of valuable items may have used a tour of the mansion the cricketer starred in to help gain entry.
In a 16-minute video released on Indian streaming app Fancode, Stokes showed a cameraman round the property revealing entry points, including patio doors, and where some of his prized sports memorabilia was located.
The app is currently unavailable in the UK, but the footage, titled 'Ben Stokes takes us on a tour of his house!', was later uploaded to both Instagram and YouTube.
A gold pendant, Stokes' OBE, a gold lion necklace and a ring bearing the England cricket crest were among the items stolen by the thugs.
And experts have warned such footage is a 'dream' to criminals, with the film set to form part of a police investigation into the burglary, report The Sun.
Christian Hill, managing director of a security company named Intelligent Protection, said: "It’s a shame because these people should be able to share their experiences and what has made them and how they have achieved everything without anything bad happening. But sadly that is not the world we live in.”
Stokes and wife Clare moved into the house in County Durham in 2017 with kids Layton, 12 and Libby, 9. They paid £1.7million but have carried out significant works on the property since moving in.
The all-rounder was away with England in Pakistan when the break-in happened on October 17, but his family were at home. In a plea for information, Stokes wrote: "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.
"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."