Former Watford player and his mother attacked by armed robbers

Armed with a taser and a hammer, robbers broke into the home of a former Watford FC player and attacked him and his mother.

Ikechi Anya’s property in Kidlington was searched by two men at around 11am on Friday (June 28), prompting an appeal for witnesses from Thames Valley Police.

Two men broke in and robbed the 36-year-old footballer and his mother, both in their 60s, and stole three watches worth a total of £20,000.

Police said they stole a Chopard Classic Racing Superfast with the Hornets badge and engraved “April 2015”, a 33mm Hublot Classic Fusion Original Black Magic and a 34mm black Rolex Oyster Perpetual.

Thieves stole Ikechi’s commemorative Chopard watch, which featured the Hornets badge and was engraved with “April 2015.” The Scottish footballer played for Watford from 2013 to 2016 after being loaned to the club from Granada for the 2012/13 season.

According to police, both thieves were wearing motorcycle helmets and dark clothing and fled on a black motorcycle without license plates.

One of the suspects was described as white, the other as mixed race and was carrying a dark backpack.

The footballer’s mother suffered minor injuries in the attack but did not require hospital treatment.

Ikechi’s brother Chima Anya said on X on Saturday: “Got really bad news today, Ikechi was robbed …”

He added that he would be “grateful” if residents shared Thames Valley Police’s appeal.

Watford FC legend Luther Blissett OBE tweeted in support: “Hope the family are OK. This is awful. Let’s hope they are caught quickly and appropriately punished.”

Detective Inspector Kate May said: “I understand this may be of concern to members of the public, but there is no indication that there is a wider threat to the public.”

She added that police increased their presence in the area over the weekend.

Witnesses or anyone with CCTV footage can report the incident on TVP’s website or by calling 101 quoting reference number 43240305029.