E!News : The wife of England footballer Joe Cole was carjacked by eight masked thugs on motorbikes outside her home while her husband cared for their baby inside, it emerged yesterday.

Carly Zucker, 26, was sitting in her black Audi A4 opposite her £3million Chelsea townhouse when she was pulled out of the driver’s seat by her attackers.
One mugger sped off with the car while the others made their escape on motorbikes

Details of the attack emerged in court yesterday as Cole’s lawyer used it to try to argue that the footballer should not be banned from driving because his wife had been left too traumatised by it to drive herself.

Magistrates decided to ban him for 50 days and ordered him to pay a £750 fine and costs of £600. But after hearing about the carjacking, magistrates chairman John Neary agreed to suspend the ban and fine while Cole appeals.

The raid happened on August 8 at 8.50am as the couple were completing their move to Formby, near Liverpool. Cole now plays football for Liverpool after leaving Chelsea

Last night Scotland Yard said it was still hunting for the car and for those who attacked Miss Zucker. Cole was being sentenced at Staines Magistrates Court in Surrey yesterday for speeding at 105mph last November in the Audi later stolen in the robbery. He was represented by Nick Freeman, nicknamed Mr Loophole for his skill in getting celebrity clients off the hook on legal technicalities.

Mr Freeman told the court: ‘Mr Cole moved to Liverpool four weeks ago. During that move his wife was outside their house in London. ‘She was in the car, registered in her name, when she was car-jacked by eight thugs on motorbikes. (damage)