Tom Huddlestone's wife feared she might be killed in raid, court told

The court was told Tom Huddlestone was away in Swansea, playing for Derby County, when his wife was robbed

The wife of former Premier League midfielder Tom Huddlestone told a court she feared masked robbers "might kill me" during a raid at their home.

Nottingham Crown Court heard an FA Cup medal, a £121,000 engagement ring and watches were stolen on 1 May 2019.

Joanna Dixon said she went through a "range of emotions" as two men bound her with cable ties.

The three men charged over the raid are part of a gang also accused of the theft of a £3.5m tiara.

In a statement read to the court by prosecutor Samuel Skinner on Thursday, Ms Dixon said the robbers told her they knew Huddlestone - who now plays for Hull City - was playing a match for Derby County away at Swansea City.

'Utterly powerless'

"I went through a range of emotions - predominantly scared, but also concerned for my son," she said.

Ms Dixon added: "I was under the sheets and just wearing underwear, I was very vulnerable at the time.

"I thought they might kill or rape me - I was utterly powerless."

During the raid at the Nottinghamshire home, Ms Dixon said the men ordered her to place her son in his cot and hold her arms out, and after she refused three times, one said: "He won't be safe unless he is in the cot."

Ashley Cole and his partner Sharon Canu were robbed at their home while their children were present, a court heard

Kurtis Dilks, 34, Ashley Cumberpatch, 36, and Andrew MacDonald, 42, are all accused of conspiring together to rob Ms Dixon.

The trio are also alleged to have converted criminal property alongside jewellers Sercan Evsin and Tevfik Guccuk on 2 May 2019.

Mr Dilks, of Whitegate Vale, Clifton, Nottingham, is also charged with being part of a four-strong gang who smashed their way into the Surrey home of former England left-back Ashley Cole with a sledgehammer in January 2020.

It is alleged an aggressive robber threatened to cut the ex-Chelsea and Arsenal defender's fingers off during the break-in.

The Portland Tiara was made for Winifred, Duchess of Portland, to wear at King Edward VII's coronation

Mr Dilks faces three charges of conspiracy to commit burglary, four charges of converting criminal property, three charges of conspiracy to commit robbery and two counts of robbery.

Mr Cumberpatch, Mr MacDonald, Mr Guccuk and Mr Evsin, alongside five other men and a woman, are also on trial for their alleged part in a series of "ruthlessly executed" burglaries - including the theft of a £3.5m tiara.

The trial continues.