Darren Bent has two cars worth £160,000 stolen after burglars raided Aston Villa striker's home while he slept

• Darren Bent has two top-of-the-range cars stolen from his home 
• Aston Villa striker lost a Range Rover and an Audi RS6 
• Thieves broke in and stole keys from his house in Little Aston 
• Bent is on loan at Brighton after falling out of favour at Villa 

By Corey Charlton for MailOnline

Published: 06:40 EST, 19 December 2014 | Updated: 09:42 EST, 19 December 2014

Darren Bent has had stolen two top-of-the-range cars worth £160,000 after burglars raided his home while he slept.

The Aston Villa striker, who is currently on loan at Brighton and Hove Albion, was targeted by the thieves last Saturday night at his Little Aston property, near Sutton Coldfield.

The burglars swiped keys to a high-spec Range Rover and a luxury Audi RS6, both worth around £80,000, before stealing them from the driveway.

Darren Bent pictured in 2011 beside the luxury Range Rover stolen from his home at the weekend

Bent's home was targeted early last Saturday morning after thieves broke in through a window

Former England international Bent, signed by Villa for £18million in 2011, was shipped out on loan to Brighton last month. He has scored one goal in three games and had started for the struggling Championship side in their 1-0 defeat at home by Millwall the night before the burglary.

Staffordshire Police were called to the address at 3.15am and discovered locks on a uPVC window had been snapped.

Following an 'orderly' search, thieves had found car keys and driven off with the vehicles.

Despite his record-breaking move to the Midlands, Bent made only one start for Villa this season under manager Paul Lambert.Despite his record-breaking move to the Midlands, Bent made only one start for Villa this season under manager Paul Lambert.

Sergeant Richard Morris of Staffordshire Police said the break-in highlighted the pitfalls of cylinder locks on windows.

The former Englan striker has had a frustrating time at Aston Villa and has been sent on loan to Brighton

'Offenders have snapped the lock cylinder in two by applying force to the cylinder,' he said.

The method of 'lock snapping' is becoming more prevalent among thieves as it can be completed within a matter of seconds.

The crime caps a frustrating year for Bent, who has also played for Ipswich, Tottenham and Sunderland.

Bent said of his month-long stint at the Seagulls: 'I wasn't getting a lot of game time at Aston Villa and it doesn't bother me that I've had to drop down a division to play football.

'I've seen Brighton play and they play like a Premier League team. They play good football. That's why I wanted to come here and join them.' 

Bent's agent did not respond to a request for comment.

Bent also had an Audi RS6 (similar to the one pictured) stolen from his home during the burglary

In 2001, then Everton striker Duncan Ferguson (pictured) fought off two burglars from his home

The striker joins a growing list of footballers who have been targeted by criminals.

Stoke striker Peter Crouch and his wife Abbey Clancy have also been the victims of two break-ins.

The couple were said to be 'distraught' after thieves broke into their Cheshire home and turned the house upside down looking for jewellery in 2011.

Entering through a kitchen window, the criminals made off with a number of rings, thought to belong to Clancy, as well as a watch and a laptop computer.

And in 2010, Martin Wilson, 22, admitted to his role in the burglary of Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard's home.

Gerrard's wife Alex Curran was home with the couple's children when Wilson and the gang smashed into their home, threatening to take her children if she did not hand over jewellery and cash.

Gerrard was in Marseille at the time playing in a Liverpool Champions League tie.

Former Scottish footballer Duncan Ferguson also famously detained a man who broke into his home in Rufford, near Liverpool.

Playing for Everton at the time, the striker confronted the pair of thieves. Although one managed to flee, his partner in crime spent three days in hospital after having been detained by Ferguson until police arrived.

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