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London (AFP) – A robber threatened to cut off former England full-back Ashley Cole’s fingers with a pair of pliers during a violent break-in at his home, a court was told Monday.
Nottingham Crown Court heard Cole, 41, was led around the house in just a pair of shorts as intruders demanded jewellery in January 2020.
Kurtis Dilks, 34, is accused of being a member of a four-strong gang who smashed their way into Cole’s home with a sledgehammer.
Jurors were told Cole and his partner Sharon Canu each had their hands bound by cable ties, and the court was shown CCTV of the intruders leading Cole, who played for both Arsenal and Chelsea, down the stairs.
The court was told that among the items stolen during the break-in were cash, mobile phones and watches.
Dilks is accused of robbing Cole and Ms Canu, as well as allegedly raiding the home of former Tottenham and Derby midfielder Tom Huddlestone with co-defendants Ashley Cumberpatch and Andrew MacDonald.
Prosecuting lawyer Michael Brady said although Cole had been at home with his family “the robbers were clearly not deterred by his presence”.
He added Cole told his partner to call the police, which she did after hiding in a wardrobe.
The prosecutor continued: “The next thing Ms Canu knew was when one of the robbers opened the wardrobe door and took the phone from her while she was talking to the police.
“Ms Canu… followed the intruder and was directed wordlessly by the man who had taken her phone to the bedroom where Mr Cole was.
“She then saw Mr Cole on his knees with his hands tied behind his back,” with the prosecutor adding one of the intruders was armed with a sledgehammer which the gang used to gain entry to the house by smashing down the doors.
After the gang had confronted Cole, Brady told jurors Canu’s hands were then bound together by black cable ties.
He said: “The man said, ‘Do you want that?’ – meaning the knife.”
Brady added: “By this stage Mr Cole’s hands were also bound behind his back with similar cable ties.
“Mr Cole mentioned that one of the attackers, a stocky more aggressive man who also spoke with an Irish accent, kept saying ‘let’s cut his fingers’.
“At the time he was armed with a pair of pliers.
“Despite the efforts of the stocky robber to attack him with pliers, the robber who Mr Cole described as the ‘boss man’, the one who had first approached him in his bedroom and grabbed his neck, prevented the attack from going ahead.”
The trial continues.

Robber threatened to cut Ashley Cole's fingers off, court told - World Soccer Talk

Robber threatened to cut Ashley Cole's fingers off, court told

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Former Chelsea and England fullback, Ashley Cole is reported to be working on a deal with Serie A giants A.S. Roma after denying offers from MLS and AS Monaco. <a href="http://www.football-italia.net/51603/cole-set-roma-talks">The Daily Mail reported</a> that Cole was flying to Italy to begin negotiations on a two-year contract negotiation. Cole became a free agent after<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2014/05/23/frank-lampard-and-ashley-cole-released-by-chelsea/"> he was released by the Blues in May.</a>
After joining Arsenal’s youth program as a youngster Cole played eight seasons for the Gunners and joined Chelsea in 2006 after a controversial departure from Arsenal in which he was fined £100,000 after speaking with Chelsea before the transfer season began. While at Stamford Bridge, Cole scored seven goals in 338 Premier League appearances including helping the Blues win a Premier League title in 2010 and a UEFA Champions League title in 2012.
Cole has won seven FA Cup titles in his time with Chelsea and Arsenal. That is the most &nbsp;in the history of the English game and he won 107 caps for England. Cole retired from international duty <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2014/05/11/ashley-cole-announces-retirement-from-england-national-team-after-world-cup-snub/">before the 2014 World Cup</a>. Making his debut for England’s U-20 team in 1999, Cole moved to the senior England team in 2001.
Jose Mourinho’s return to Chelsea in the summer of 2013 precipitated Cole’s fall from grace. Having held down the starting left-back spot since his arrival at Stamford Bridge in 2006, Cole was eventually benched in favor of&nbsp;César Azpilicueta a natural right-back who the Chelsea Manager determined could play on the left side of defense.
Out in the cold for months, Cole made a triumphant return to the Blues side in a stunning 2-0 victory at Anfield on April 27th. This match ultimately cost Liverpool the Premier League title. Cole also featured in the second leg of Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League semifinal tie against Atletico Madrid.
Should Cole move to AS Roma he would be first high-profile English player to play in Serie A since David Beckham’s loan spells at AC Milan in 2009 and 2010.
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Ashley Cole Reported to be In Talks to Join AS Roma

Ashley Cole Reported to be In Talks to Join AS Roma - World Soccer Talk

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Robber threatened to cut Ashley Cole's fingers off, court told

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Ashley Cole Reported to be In Talks to Join AS Roma