A 32-year-old man has been arrested following a burglary at the home of England Test captain Ben Stokes.
The England cricket star was away on tour with his country when the burglary took place.
But Stokes revealed in a statement on social media that his wife and two children were also present when it took place.
Stokes said: “On the evening of Thursday 17 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.
Ben Stokes’ wife and and children were in the home
PA
“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.
More to follow…