NZ-born England cricketer Ben Stokes has blasted what he labels "despicable" journalism, after details of the murder of his half-siblings were published.
ON Tuesday, British tabloid The Sun revealed that Stokes' half-sister Tracey, 8, and half-brother Andrew, 4, were murdered by father Richard Dunn in Christchurch in 1988.
Dunn was married to Stokes' mother Deb, before she began a relationship with rugby league coach Gerard Stokes - Ben's father - and the pair split. Deb became pregnant with Ben, while she was grieving the loss of her two children.
The Sun reports Dunn had custody of his children for the weekend when he shot them, before shooting himself.
Ben Stokes has now come out swinging against The Sun, tweeting a statement on Tuesday night that said the media outlet had "seen fit to publish extremely painful, sensitive and personal details concerning events in the private lives of my family, going back more than 31 years".
"It is hard to find words that adequately describe such low and despicable behaviour, disguised as journalism. I cannot conceive of anything more immoral, heartless or contemptuous to the feelings and circumstances of my family."
Stokes said the family had been dealing privately with the event, but on Saturday, The Sun sent a reporter to his parents' home in New Zealand to "question them, out of the blue, on this incredibly upsetting topic".
"To use my name as an excuse to shatter the privacy and private lives of - in particular - my parents is utterly disgusting.
"I am aware that my public profile brings with it consequences for me that I accept entirely. But I will not allow my public profile to be used as an excuse to invade the rights of my parents, my wife, my children or other family members.
"This is the lowest form of journalism."
He said the article contained inaccuracies and he believed it was time "to take a serious look at how we allow our press to behave".
A spokesperson for The Sun said the article was written with the cooperation of a family member. The piece includes quotes from Jacqui Dunn - Richard's daughter from a previous marriage.
"I couldn't believe Dad would do such a thing," she said. "It was just horrible.
"Deb was so angry and traumatised, she kicked the coffin at his funeral and I've never seen or heard from her since."
The Sun said Ben was contacted before publication and the media outlet never received communication from him asking for the story not to be published.
Ben's statement on Twitter has more than 150,000 likes and more than 31,000 retweets.
Newshub.
