Olympic hero Mark Cavendish and his model wife were attacked when their home was ambushed by four armed thugs.
Their terrifying ordeal happened in front of their kids in their posh home in Ongar, Essex, and the raiders made off with two fancy watches and a Louis Vuitton suitcase.
Cavendish, 36, was violently attacked by the gang of thugs and he and wife Peta Todd, 34, were left incredibly shaken after being threatened at knifepoint.
Officers called at 2.35am on Saturday 27 November after a group of four armed men entered their home, in the Ongar area that has been dubbed ‘Millionaire’s Row’.
The cyclist and former Page 3 model’s children witnessed the raid from inside the house.
The burglars made off with a Louis Vuitton suitcase and two high-value watches.
Cavendish was assaulted shortly after returning home following a stint in intensive care following a serious cycling crash.
Peta took to Twitter to share her horror of the night which has robbed her family of their young “sense of security, safety, privacy and dignity”.
She said online: “4 masked and armed men forced their way into our home as we slept. They threatened myself and our children and violently attacked Mark. At knifepoint they proceeded to ransack our belongings.”
(Image: WireImage)
No arrests have been made but Detective Inspector Tony Atkin, who is the senior investigating officer on the case, said: “This was undoubtedly a targeted incident at the home of a celebrated British Olympian, who at the time was recovering from significant injuries resulting from a crash whilst competing, which was well publicised.
“Our investigation is moving along at pace and we are following a number of lines of inquiry as we seek to catch those responsible.
“Mr Cavendish and his wife were assaulted and threatened in their own home, in the presence of their young children, who witnessed these events. Thankfully, they are recovering, but the traumatic effect will be long standing.”
DI Atkin has appealed to the public for any information that could lead to the capture of the thugs responsible.
He continued in a statement: “Today, we are releasing images of the people captured on CCTV fleeing the scene and we would urge anyone who recognises them to get in contact with us immediately.”
Cavendish and his wife escaped serious injury.
The cyclist has revealed the distressing impact the burglary has had on his family, in the same statement released by Essex Police.
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
The Tour de France star said: “As I’m sure you will understand, this incident has left our family extremely distressed – not just myself and Peta but our children as well, who feared for their lives and are now struggling with the after-effects.
“No one should have to experience the sort of violence and threats made against us, let alone this happening in a family home – a place where everyone should feel safe.”
He added: “The items taken are simply material goods and our priority at the moment is to make sure we all recover from the incident as a family, and we know this is likely to take some time.
(Image: Getty Images)
“We would like to place on record our thanks to Essex Police for a really quick response and the professionalism and the focus they are clearly putting into the investigation.”
Cavendish was awarded an MBE in 2011 for services to cycling before winning a silver medal at the Rio Olympics five years later.
He and ex-glamour model Peta tied the knot in October 2013 after meeting in 2010.
(Image: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)
The couple have three children together, Delilah, Frey and Casper plus her son Finnbar from a previous relationship.
Detective Inspector Atkin has warned people to be alert to the sale of the designer suitcase and watches as the thieves look to cash in on the stolen goods.
He said: “It is likely the people who stole these items are attempting to offload them for sizeable sums of money and I would urge anyone who is being offered these items to please get in touch with us – they are stolen property.
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“If you have been offered these items, please contact us immediately.”
“We know an incident such as this will naturally cause a lot of concern within the community.
“There will continue to be a visible policing presence in the area as our investigations progress in the coming days.”
Anyone who was in the Ongar area between 2am and 2.40am on 27 November and saw anybody acting suspiciously, or has any information that could help with our investigation, should contact Loughton CID on 101 quoting reference 42/275184/21.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
