Jury retires to consider verdicts against two men accused of robbing Mark Cavendish and wife Peta

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Olympic and Tour de France cyclist Mark Cavendish pictured before a race. Credit: PA

Jurors have started their deliberations in the trial of two men who are accused of robbing Olympic cyclist Mark Cavendish and his wife Peta.

Prosecutors said balaclava-wearing intruders broke into Cavendish’s home in Ongar, Essex, as he was asleep upstairs with his wife – with their three-year-old child also in the bed.

Two Richard Mille watches, valued at £400,000 and £300,000, were among the items taken in the knifepoint raid at around 2.30am on 27 November 2021.

Romario Henry, 31, of Bell Green, Lewisham, south-east London, and Oludewa Okorosobo, 28, of Flaxman Road, Camberwell, south London, deny two counts of robbery.

The two watches stolen from the Cavendish household were worth a total of £700,000. Credit: Essex Police

They are accused of robbing Cavendish of a watch, a phone and a safe, and of robbing the athlete’s wife of a watch, a phone and a Louis Vuitton suitcase.

Judge David Turner KC summed up the evidence in the case to jurors at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday, which was the 13th day of the trial, before they retired to consider their verdicts.

Ali Sesay, 28, of Holding Street, Rainham, Kent, admitted two counts of robbery at an earlier hearing, and the trial was previously told that his DN

A was found on Mrs Cavendish’s phone, which was taken and found outside the property.

Two other men, Jo Jobson, from Plaistow, east London, and George Goddard, from Loughton in Essex, have been named as suspects but not apprehended.

Peta and Mark Cavendish were held up at knifepoint during a robbery at their home, the court has heard. Credit: PA

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