A Camberwell man has denied robbing famous Tour-de-France cyclist Mark Cavendish and his wife Peta in their own home.
On Thursday May 4, Chelmsford Crown Court heard that in the early hours of Saturday 27 November, a number of men burst into Cavendish’s home in the Ongar area of Essex, and assaulted the cyclist in front of his children.
At the hearing Oludewa Okorosobo, 28, of Flaxman Road, Camberwell and Romario Henry, 31, of Bell Green, Lewisham, plead not guilty to two counts of robbery.
They will now face trial on October 3.
A third defendant, 27-year-old Ali Sesay, was not asked to enter a plea to the charges.
Essex police said no-one sustained serious injuries during the incident.
In a statement released at the time, Mr Cavendish said: “As I’m sure you will understand, this incident has left our family extremely distressed – not just myself and Peta but our children as well, who feared for their lives and are now struggling with the after-effects.
“No one should have to experience the sort of violence and threats made against us, let alone this happening in a family home – a place where everyone should feel safe.”
At the time of the incident 36-year-old Cavendish was at home recovering from a brutal crash in the Ghent Six Day track event, where he sustained a collapsed lung and broken ribs.
A Luis Vuitton suitcase and two high-value watches were reported stolen. Cavendish said: “The items taken are simply material goods and our priority at the moment is to make sure we all recover from the incident as a family, and we know this is likely to take some time.”
Oludewa Okorosobo and Romario Henry have been remanded in custody.
Mr Sesay, of Holding Street, Rainham, east London was also remanded in custody and was due before the court for a case management hearing on Friday May 6.