The former Arsenal, Chelsea and Derby defender told police he thought “now I’m going to die” as he recalled how masked raiders tied his hands behind his back even though he was holding his young daughter in January 2020. Nottingham Crown Court heard that Curtis Dilks was the only one of the gang responsible for the robbery to be arrested after his DNA was recovered on the cables used to hold Cole and his partner, Sharon Canu. The 35-year-old courier claimed his DNA was found on cable ties and a knife recovered from the scene in Fetcham, Surrey, because they were items previously stolen from his truck. Dilks was convicted along with five others for their roles in a series of “brutally executed” robberies and burglaries between October 2018 and January 2020. As well as attacking Cole, Dilks was found guilty of conspiring to rob the wife of former Tottenham, Hull and Derby midfielder Tom Huddlestone in May 2019 with co-defendants Ashley Cumberbatch and Andrew McDonald. The trio were also convicted of stealing a £3.5million tiara worn at the coronation of Edward VII from the Harley Gallery on the Welbeck estate in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, in 2018. Dilks showed no emotion as jurors announced their verdicts Friday. Kurtis Dilks, who will be sentenced July 15, is pictured this month. Photo: Jacob King/PA The 10-week trial was shown CCTV footage from Cole’s home which showed the ex-footballer, wearing only his boxer shorts, being led up and down the stairs by the robbers. Watches, mobile phones, cash, a Gucci bag, headphones and a BMW smart key were stolen during the burglary, the court heard. After the robbery, Cole told police, “I was on my knees, waiting to be killed … I’m never going to see my kids again.” As it became known, the investigation into the robbery continues and the police are looking for the other three involved. Jurors heard that Cole was working as a youth coach at Chelsea at the time of the attack and had just settled down to watch a Netflix film when he heard a noise “vibrating through the walls”. Opening the case against Dilks at the start of the trial, the prosecutor, Michael Brady QC, said Cole told his partner to call the police, which she did after hiding in a cupboard. He told jurors: “The next thing Mrs Canu knew one of the robbers opened the wardrobe door and took her phone while she was speaking to the police. Ms Kanu followed the intruder and was wordlessly directed by the man who had taken her phone to the bedroom where Mr Cole was. He then saw Mr Cole on his knees with his hands tied behind his back.’ Mr Brady said Ms Canu became increasingly concerned when she spotted a “huge” sledgehammer which the robbers had used to break down the double doors downstairs to gain entry to the house. The prosecutor told the court that after Cole insisted he had no jewelery or watches, one of the attackers “grabbed the back of his neck and squeezed him”. Mr Brady said Ms Canu was then threatened with a knife. “Ms Canu rather bravely initially refused to have her hands tied,” he said. “That bravery dissipated to some extent when she was threatened with a knife. “The man said, ‘Do you want this?’” – meaning the knife. Quick guide

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Thanks for your response. Mr Brady continued: ‘At this stage Mr Cole’s hands were also tied behind his back with similar cable ties. Then Mr. Cole rose from his arms. He saw how upset his family was. “Mr Cole reported that one of the attackers, a stocky, more aggressive man who spoke with an Irish accent, kept saying, ‘Let’s cut his fingers off.’ Then he was armed with a pair of pliers. “Despite the stocky robber’s attempts to attack him with pliers, the robber who Mr Cole described as the ‘man boss’ – the one who had first approached him in his bedroom and grabbed his throat – prevented the attack.” The court heard the robbers fled after one shouted “Police”. Dilks, of Whitegate Vale, Clifton, Nottingham, will be sentenced at the same court on July 15.