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17th Sep 2019

England cricket player Ben Stokes describes The Sun as “low and despicable” in strong statement

Rudi Kinsella

ben stokes

Stokes condemned the newspaper after they printed a story about a family tragedy that occurred 31 years ago.

England cricket player Ben Stokes has posted a powerful statement on his Twitter page condemning The Sun for publishing a “low and despicable” story.

Stokes, who was instrumental in England’s World Cup win this summer, wrote: “I cannot conceive of anything more immoral, heartless or contemptuous to the feelings and circumstances of my family.”

He continued: “For more than three decades, my family has worked hard to deal with the private trauma inevitably associated with these events, and has taken great care to keep private what were deeply personal and traumatic events.

“On Saturday, The Sun sent a ‘reporter’ to my parents’ home in New Zealand to question them, out of the blue, on this incredibly upsetting topic.

“If that wasn’t bad enough, The Sun think it is acceptable to sensationalise our personal tragedy for their front page.”

You can read his statement in full here.

A spokesperson for The Sun has since told Sky News that the paper has “the utmost sympathy for Ben Stokes and his mother” but the story is a “matter of public record” that was supplied by a “family member”.

They said: “The tragedy is also a matter of public record and was the subject of extensive front page publicity in New Zealand at the time.”

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Topics:

Cricket,The Sun