A gang stole the £3.5m ‘national treasure’ Portland Tiara from Nottingham gallery and threatened to cut off Ashley Cole’s fingers with pliers during a violent break in at his home in series of ‘ruthlessly executed’ burglaries, a court hears today.
Jurors were told the 40-year-old ex-Arsenal star was targeted by raiders wearing camouflage clothing who tied his hands behind his back and demanded jewellery and watches.
Mr Cole’s hands were also ‘bizarrely’ doused with odour eliminator Febreze in an apparent bid to destroy DNA evidence, before the group of up to six men fled the home in Fetcham, Surrey, when police arrived.
Kurtis Dilks is alleged to have robbed former England defender Mr Cole and his partner Sharon Canu of watches, mobile phones, cash, a Gucci bag, headphones and a BMW smart key during a break-in at their home in January 2020.
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Nottingham Crown Court heard that Mr Dilks, 33, is also accused of being part of a six-strong gang who allegedly stole the £3.75 million Portland Tiara from the Welbeck Estate in 2018 and conspiracy to rob the home of Hull City footballer Tom Huddlestone.
Prosecutors said the theft of the tiara, worn to the coronation of Edward VII, and described as a ‘national treasure’, was a ‘shocking event’ and it will never again be seen in its original state.
Nine others – eight men and a woman – are in the dock along with Mr Dilks accused of being ‘to a greater or lesser extent involved in a series of extremely serious, high profile, carefully planned and at times ruthlessly executed burglaries and violent robberies’ between October 2018 and July 2019.
Another defendant, Andrew Stokes, is also charged with converting criminal property – but not in relation to the alleged raids.
Opening the case against 11 defendants on Monday, prosecutor Michael Brady QC told jurors the home of former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mr Huddlestone was targeted in a ‘well-planned operation’ while he was playing a match for Derby County.
Mr Dilks, Ashley Cumberpatch and Andrew MacDonald are accused of conspiring to rob Mr Huddlestone’s wife, Joanna Dixon, in Caythorpe, Nottinghamshire of £500,000 of jewellery and handbags, including her wedding and engagement rings.
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Jurors were told robbers tied Ms Dixon’s hands behind her back with cable ties, with one allegedly saying: ‘Don’t make this difficult, we don’t want to manhandle you.’
Mr Brady said a knife and cable ties were subsequently found close to the house that linked Mr Dilks to them via his DNA.
Beginning his opening speech to the jury, Mr Brady said: ‘These defendants were to a greater or lesser extent involved in a series of extremely serious, high-profile, carefully planned and at times ruthlessly executed burglaries and violent robberies.
‘Dilks continued this pattern when he was involved in the robberies of Ashley Cole, the footballer, and his partner Sharon Canu in January 2020.
‘The presence of householders did not deter these defendants.
‘They were armed with weapons and the means to subdue them. The presence of children did not perturb them.’
Mr Brady also explained how on the evening of Tuesday January 21 2020, Ms Canu was at home with their two young children.
He said ‘Mr Cole returned home at about 9.30pm when they settled down upstairs to watch a film.
‘Within a few minutes Mr Cole and Ms Canu heard a noise from outside the front of the house and placed the TV on mute to hear what it was.
‘Mr Cole described the noise as vibrating up the walls into the bedroom and was sufficiently concerned that he checked the view of household security cameras on the app he had on his mobile telephone.
‘The robbers were clearly not deterred by his presence.’