Burglars told Gerrard’s wife: ‘We’ll take your kids’

Burglars told the wife of the Liverpool and England footballer Steven Gerrard they would "take her kids" during a terrifying raid at their home, a jury was told yesterday.

Alex Curran confronted the masked six-strong gang, who demanded she hand over jewellery and the contents of a safe. Details of the ordeal in December 2007, while Gerrard was away playing against Marseille, emerged after one of the defendants, Martin Wilson, 22, admitted burglary.

Ms Curran, 27, had remained at home in Formby, Merseyside, with the couple's children, Lilly-Ella and Lexie, now six and four, and their nanny, Lyndsey Johnston. The mansion had high walls, a fence and electronic gates. The women and children were in their bedrooms at about 9.30pm when they heard a loud smash downstairs.

The thieves raced upstairs and one swore while demanding cash and jewels. One told another to "get the blade out of the car", then told Ms Curran, "If you don't tell us where the safe is, we'll take the kids". The men "dragged" Ms Curran downstairs to the safe but it was too heavy to move and the gang left with jewellery. The trial continues at Liverpool Crown Court.