Raider held knife to Mark Cavendish’s throat during break-in, court told

A balaclava-wearing intruder held a large black knife to the throat of Olympic cyclist Mark Cavendish and threatened to stab him, the athlete’s wife told a robbery trial.

The raiders broke into Cavendish’s home as he was asleep upstairs with his wife Peta on November 27th, 2021, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.

Prosecutors say they stole items including two Richard Mille watches valued at £400,000 and £300,000.

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

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

Peta Cavendish, giving evidence in court, said she “heard a noise that woke me” in the night and went downstairs to investigate, adding that she was “naked” at the time.

“As I got a few steps down the stairs I could hear men speaking but it was still dark,” said Mrs Cavendish, who wore a black jumper and blazer, with her dark hair in a ponytail.

She said she could see “men’s figures in balaclavas, and they were running towards the bottom of the stairs”.

“I know there were between three and five, I know there were more than a couple but I wouldn’t have been able to say exactly how many (people there were),” Mrs Cavendish said.

Asked by prosecutor Edward Renvoize how she felt when she saw the men in balaclavas, she told jurors: “It was just everyone’s worst nightmare.”

She said she ran up the stairs “as quickly as I could and I shouted something like ‘get back’ or ‘get in’ to Mark”.

She said that one of the intruders “dragged” Cavendish “from his feet and started punching him”.

“One of the men then had him in a