Hunt for burglars who targeted West Ham star Kurt Zouma at his Essex home as he becomes latest star after Raheem Sterling, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and others to be hit

Detectives are continuing the hunt for a gang of burglars who raided Kurt Zouma‘s Essex mansion as the West Ham defender became the latest football star to be targeted by crooks.

Zouma, 29, was at home with his wife Sandra and four children when thieves struck late on Saturday night. The family noticed a single upstairs room at the address had been ransacked with jewellery and watches taken.

The burglars had already disappeared by the time the theft was detected.

Frenchman Zouma was notably absent from West Ham’s squad on Sunday as they drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace following the burglary – which led to a warning from cops to neighbours amid fears an organised crime group could strike again. 

Zouma and his loved ones were left ‘too scared to stay at home’, with a source telling The Sun: ‘Kurt and the family were put through an horrific ordeal, and are still struggling to speak about what happened… Kurt is a family man and in shock. He is worried about protecting his family.’

News of the ordeal left West Ham fans stunned – with the club today offering a £25,000 reward for information leading to the gang’s capture. 

Detectives from Essex Police are investigating the incident. In a statement, the force said: ‘We were called shortly after 11.50pm on Saturday December 2 to reports of a burglary in west Essex.

‘It was reported suspects had gained entry to an address, before taking items including jewellery and watches. Our investigation into this incident is continuing.’

Police are urging those with information to contact them by calling 101, quoting incident number 42/214211/23.

Those seeking to respond to West Ham’s appeal for help can also email confidential@westhamunited.co.uk. Information will be shared with police, the club insisted.

It follows a difficult time for Zouma after he was prosecuted after footage emerged on Snapchat of him kicking a cat at home. 

The £30million-a-year defender becomes the latest in a long line of top-flight footballers to have been targeted by professional robbery gangs. 

Here, we look at just some of the reported burglaries over the past two years.

Raheem Sterling

Footballer Raheem Sterling‘s luxury mansion was raided while he was representing England at the World Cup.

A 23-year-old is alleged to have taken part in 33 burglaries including robbing the Chelsea striker’s £7 million home in Oxshott, Surrey, in December last year.

Jewellery and watches worth £300,000 were stolen in the raid.

Sterling, 28, flew home just hours before England’s crucial clash with Senegal in Qatar last year.

The striker was interviewed by detectives investigating the burglary before returning to the England squad for the quarter-final match against France, which they lost.

In September the suspect, from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, had arrived at court late after the prison van transporting the defendant from HMP Wandsworth broke down.

The man did not enter a plea during the short case-management hearing at Guildford Crown Court.

He spoke only to confirm his name via an Albanian language interpreter. He was represented by defence barrister Graham Blower.

The case was adjourned and a ten-day trial before His Honour Judge Rufus Taylor was set for February next year.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang suffered a broken jaw after being struck on the chin with an iron bar during a terrifying robbery at his Spanish family home late in August last year.

The Barcelona striker, 34, was assaulted by a group of four men and threatened with firearms and iron bars in front of his wife Alysha Behague and their two terrified children in the early hours of the morning. 

Barcelona later moved Aubameyang and his family into a five-star hotel in the city and offered them psychological counselling following the ordeal.  

The thieves escaped with jewels after Aubameyang was forced to open a safe within the property in Castelldefels, a coastal town south of Barcelona.

Aubameyang was struck on the chin with an iron bar, while Behague suffered a blow to the head, but they decided initally against hospital treatment in order not to further frighten their two sons.

The children saw their parents held on the ground for an hour while the thieves ransacked the house.  

Catalan news outlet ARA reported police believed the assailants belonged to an organised gang of Kosovar Albanians.

Aubameyang later took to social media and said: ‘Some violent cowards broke into our home and threatened my family and my children, just to steal some stuff.

‘They injured my jaw but I will recover in no time, and thank god no one else was physically harmed.’

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

In September last year, thieves entered the Cheshire mansion of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and his fiancée Little Mix star Perrie Edwards as the pair relaxed with their 13-month-old son.

The gang used a ladder to access the upper floor of the building unnoticed and made off with a lot of valuables.

Oxlade-Chamberlain and Edwards, both 30, were left ‘terrified and heartbroken’ by the ‘brazen’ thief.

The couple were inside the property with their son when they alerted police to the burglary.

It is reported that the burglars were experienced and entered through an upstairs window from a ladder and escaped with jewellery and designer items.

A friend told The Sun: ‘It seems astonishing that you could be burgled in your own home during the evening without even being out, but that’s what police believe happened.

‘It now looks as though they were targeted by some fairly brazen and experienced criminals who had the brass neck and the wherewithal to climb the back of a large property and get hold of all this expensive kit before they were noticed.

‘They must be pretty seasoned but police are determined to get hold of them before anyone else falls victim.’

The couple were left feeling ‘violated’ by the incident and extremely ‘upset’ after realising what had happened, according to another source.  

They said: ‘The brazenness of doing it while they were in the house is terrifying, and obviously they’re heartbroken that a lot of valuable items which meant a great deal to them, not just financially, have been taken. 

‘This is their dream home and they love their life there as a family. Suddenly it feels tarnished, but they’re determined to get on with their lives.’ 

Joao Cancelo

Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo suffered facial injuries after he was attacked in his own home by four burglars in December 2021.

The 29-year-old fought back against the intruders, who made off with stolen jewellery.

Cancelo’s partner Daniela and baby daughter were in the house when the ordeal took place, an incident which left the full back shaken. City did not reveal where the incident took place but said that police were investigating the incident.

The Portugal international, who lives in the suburbs of Manchester, later posted a picture of himself on Instagram to document his wounds following the attack.

‘Unfortunately today I was assaulted by four cowards who hurt me and tried to hurt my family,’ he said.

‘When you show resistance this is what happens. They managed to take all my jewellery and leave me with my face with this state.

‘I don’t know how there are people with such meanness. The most important thing for me is my family and luckily they are all OK.

‘And after so many obstacles in my life, this is just one more than I will overcome. Firm and strong, like always.’

City later said in a statement: ‘We are shocked and appalled that Joao Cancelo and his family were subjected to a burglary at their home this evening during which Joao was also assaulted. 

‘Joao and his family are being supported by the club and he is helping the police with their enquiries as they investigate this very serious matter.’

Tahith Chong

Manchester United star Tahith Chong was robbed at knifepoint after a masked gang broke into his home in January last year.

The 22-year-old had been on loan at Championship club Birmingham City that season but was out of action after suffering a groin injury.

He was at his home in Sale, Greater Manchester, at the time of the burglary, two and a half months into his recovery.

According to The Sun, ‘three balaclava-clad men broke in at 3am while Chong was asleep’ and ‘held blades to his throat’ as they ordered him to give them items including watches and jewellery.

The report adds that the robbers ‘mocked him over his poor security’ and left the Dutch winger ‘extremely shaken’.

Police were called and reportedly warned Chong that his social media may have been monitored by organised gangs looking for indicators of wealth.

Jesse Lingard

Manchester United and England ace Jesse Lingard was raided by ‘Away Day’ robbers  last year as thieves stole more than £100,000 in clothes and jewellery from his home.

Lingard’s house in Hale, Greater Manchester, was raided by a gang of robbers as United visited Aston Villa on January 15. Within weeks, he accepted an offer to sell the mansion.

Lingard was targeted just days before thieves robbed his Manchester United teammate Victor Lindelof when the Swedish international was playing for the Red Devils against Brentford on January 19, 2022.

The 29-year-old showed off his luxury five-bedroom house in an episode of MTV Cribs and led the cameras to his dressing room where his clothes, 28 caps and 96 pairs of trainers are kept.

Lingard talked through the importance of the room, explaining how looking at the caps each morning puts him in a positive mood for the start of the day. 

‘My most prized possessions, my clothes, my trainers, my England caps. I like to come in here every morning when I get changed, look at my caps.

‘Start the day off right. Puts me in a positive mindset for the day. 

‘This cap (vs Panama) is very important, my first goal at the World Cup. To actually score, a massive feeling, will remain in my heart, forever. I’m just proud that I represented my country. I did them proud.’

Lingard also boasted of an impressive wardrobe full of designer clothes including suits and a henley jacket. 

The footballer had been using the goal in his garden to practice during lockdown but is now back training with the rest of his team-mates ahead of the Premier League’s restart later this month. 

Victor Lindelof

The terrified wife and young children of Manchester United star Victor Lindelof locked themselves in a room as intruders broke into their home in January last year, while he played in a Premier League match against Brentford. 

Maja Nilsson Lindelof was alone with their three-year-old boy and baby when she realised someone was forcing their way into the house.

In an Instagram story, Lindelof’s wife Maja said: ‘During Victor’s game this Wednesday night we had a break-in at our house in Manchester.

‘I was home alone with both kids but we managed to hide and lock ourselves in a room before they entered our house.

‘We are OK under the circumstances but it was obviously a very traumatic and scary moment for both me and my little kids.

‘We are now in Sweden and are spending some time off with our families.’

Paul Pogba

Manchester United star Paul Pogba revealed his house was burgled in March 2022 while his two children were sleeping in their bedroom as he played in the Champions League.

The World Cup winning Frenchman took to social media to reveal his and his wife Zulay’s ‘worst nightmare’ had been realised, with their sense of safety and security stripped from them.

Pogba, 29, offered a reward to anyone who could provide him with information.

He wrote on social media: ‘Last night our family’s worst nightmare was realized when our home was broken into and burglarized while our babies were sleeping in their bedroom. 

‘The burglars were in our home for less than five minutes but in that time they took from us something more valuable than anything we had in our home… our sense of safety and security.

‘This occurred during the final minutes of last night’s match when they knew that we would not be home. My wife and I rushed home not knowing if our children were safe and unharmed. 

‘As a father there is no feeling worse in this world than not being there to protect your children and I sincerely hope that no one ever has to feel what I felt last night.’

Pogba came off the bench for United in their 1-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid, with the incident at his home taking place towards the end of the game.

He and his wife then rushed back to the property, the player said. 

International superstar Pogba has been married to Zulay, a model from Bolivia, since 2019, having met her a few years before on a pre-season tour

Ashley Cole

Former England footballer Ashley Cole and his family endured a horrific ordeal when a gang of men smashed their way into his home, tied him up and threatened to cut off his fingers.

Kurtis Dilks, 35, was jailed at Nottingham Crown Court in July last year for 30 years for his part in the attack.

Judge James Sampson praised the ‘courage and resilience’ of Cole and his partner Sharon Canu, as well as all the other victims of the gang.

In an impact statement read to the court, Cole described how he has invested hugely on security at his home in Fetcham, Surrey, to the point that it makes it ‘feel like a fortress’, but he said he still cannot go out to the bin without a torch and his guard dog. 

Branding Dilks ‘chillingly ruthless’, the judge told him: ‘The psychological impact on Mr Cole and Ms Canu, as with all of your victims, cannot be overstated.’

As well as the attack on Cole, Dilks was found guilty of conspiring to rob the wife of former Tottenham, Hull and Derby midfielder Tom Huddlestone in May 2019 with fellow defendants Ashley Cumberpatch and Andrew MacDonald.

The trio were also convicted of being part of the theft of a £3.5 million tiara worn to the coronation of Edward VII from the Harley Gallery on the Welbeck Estate in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, in 2018.

In a statement that was read out by a prosecutor, Cole said: ‘The picture of that night remains and impacts everything.

‘The terror and confusion on my children’s face is something that will never leave me.

‘These images and thoughts will never, ever leave my mind and can pop up any time.’

Mr Cole was watching Netflix when the raiders smashed into his house, binding his hands as he held his young daughter.

The gang threatened to cut off his fingers with electrician’s pliers before police suddenly arrived and they fled.

The thugs dragged him downstairs and made him think they were going throw acid on his face or burn him alive, a court previously heard.

In an interview previously played in court, Mr Cole sobbed as he said: ‘I was on my knees, waiting to either be killed… I’ll never see my kids again.

‘The aggressive guy was shouting. “You are f****** lying to me, I am gonna do you”.

‘He kept saying, “Let me cut his hands. Let me cut his fingers. Give me his fingers”.’ 

The 42-year-old added that he feared he would be ‘set alight or murdered’ in front of children, and partner Sharon.