Jewellery and watches stolen during break-in at Raheem Sterling’s home

Jewellery and watches have been stolen in a break-in at the home of England forward Raheem Sterling.

Surrey Police said they were investigating reports of a burglary at an address in Oxshott, Leatherhead, after being contacted just before 9pm on Saturday.

The force said no threat of violence was involved in the incident, but Sterling was absent from England’s 3-0 win over Senegal in the World Cup on Sunday as he travelled home from Qatar to be with his family.

In a statement, officers said occupants of the address returned from an international trip on Saturday to find a number of items, including jewellery and watches, had been stolen.

Police attended the property on Saturday evening and returned to speak to Sterling’s family again on Monday.

The force said it remains unclear on which date the items were stolen and no arrests have been made.

The Chelsea winger is said to have been shaken and concerned about the wellbeing of his children following the incident.

The Sun reported watches worth £300,000 had been taken in the incident, with a family source telling the newspaper the police were at the address for several hours.

In a statement, officers said the items were discovered stolen retrospectively.

Police said they wanted to reassure people no witnesses had come forward to confirm reports of armed suspects being involved in the break-in.

The force said inquiries were under way to establish the circumstances and the investigation is ongoing.

In their statement, Surrey Police said: “We are currently investigating a report of a burglary at an address in Oxshott, Leatherhead.

“On Saturday December 3, the occupants returned to the address after arriving home from an international trip.

“They contacted police just before 9pm to report a number of items of jewellery, including watches, had been stolen.

“Officers attended the address later that night and returned to speak to the occupants this morning.

“At this time it remains unclear on which date the property was stolen and establishing this forms a key part of our investigation.

“Enquiries into the full circumstances remain ongoing and officers will look at all available evidence including any CCTV opportunities.

“No arrests have been made at this time.”

It is understood the FA offered extensive security guidance to players before leaving for Qatar, with an experienced security team on hand to advise and provide support as and when needed.

National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for burglary, Deputy Chief Constable Alex Franklin-Smith, said people can “be confident the police will attend if you experience the invasion of a home burglary”.

He added: “We take all burglaries very seriously, offer support to families impacted by this awful crime and seek to bring offenders to justice as swiftly as possible.”

Support for the England international flooded in on social media, with Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker sending a message to the 27-year-old on Twitter.

He said: “Thoughts are with (Raheem Sterling) and his family after their awful and harrowing ordeal.”

In a press conference after the game, England manager Gareth Southgate told reporters: “Raheem, as the FA statement says, is having to deal with a family situation, so he’s going back to England.

“We’ve got to give him time to try to resolve that or be there for his family. That’s the most important thing at this time, so we’re going to give him that space.

“I spent a lot of time with Raheem this morning, but you know you have days where events happen and you have to deal with them.

“He’s on his way home and, yeah, we’re obviously mindful of him being allowed space and (having) privacy respected, so we don’t want to talk in too much detail.”

England captain Harry Kane sent his best to Sterling at the man of the match press conference in Al Khor.

“Our thoughts are with him and his family,” he said.

“It is a private matter with him, but it’s never easy to see one of your teammates and friends have to deal with something like that.

“We will take it day by day and take the best decision for him and his family.

“From us as a team we send him our best and hope to see him as soon as possible.”