Friday, July 15, 2011

Joss Stone / Soul singer 'absolutely fine' after pair arreste

A spokesman for Stone, pictured with Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge, said the singer was aware of the arrests and was being kept up to date by the police.

Joss Stone: soul singer 'absolutely fine' after pair arrested

Joss Stone, the West Country soul singer, was at the centre of an alleged plot to rob and harm her last night after two men were arrested.

By Mark Hughes, and Andrew Hough

9:00PM BST 15 Jun 2011

The pair are alleged to have travelled from Manchester but to have been thwarted when a retired neighbour reported a suspicious vehicle outside the singer’s home in east Devon.

Police were said to have found a body bag, rope and a sword inside a red Fiat Punto.

Miss Stone, 24, who counts the Duke of Cambridge among her friends, is believed to have been inside the house with friends when the arrests were made on Monday morning.

Last night she said she was “absolutely fine and getting on with life as normal” as detectives continued to investigate.

“Joss is aware of the arrests and is being kept informed by the police,” a spokesman for the singer said.

He declined to comment further or to confirm whether she was at home at the time or had been told why she might have been a target.

The men were first arrested on suspicion of going equipped to steal, but they were later held on suspicion of further offences of conspiracy to rob and commit grievous bodily harm after officers searched the car.

Det Insp Steve Parker, leading the investigation, said: “The two men in custody had in their possession information relating to an individual in the area and items which lead us to suspect that they may have intended to commit a criminal offence.”

Yesterday there were police officers on guard at the farmhouse where Miss Stone has lived for more than a decade.

A young woman wearing red and white striped trousers was smuggled out of the house under a white blanket at 10.15am and driven off at high speed in a white sports car by two friends.

Neighbours said that the singer was relaxed following the incident. Simon Alsop, a 57-year-old farmer said: “She came here for a coffee on Tuesday afternoon and she was all right. She was quite laid back and not in a major panic. “It all sounds a bit bizarre and very strange. They were in a very small car and it doesn’t sound as if they were very organised.

“It is hard to say whether it was a serious threat or not. Even so, it is quite scary. I know the whole family well and they are very good neighbours. If Joss isn’t working she is often here.”

He said that Miss Stone’s mother used to live with her until she moved to Exeter where she had a business. “Joss is never there on her own. She usually has a small entourage of friends staying and her brother is sometimes about,” he added.

“She has parties from time to time but they are just for friends, they are not what you would call rock’n’roll-style parties.” Miss Stone was just 16 when she came to fame in 2003 with The Soul Sessions, which was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. She has since sold more than 11 million albums worldwide.

She became friends with the Duke of Cambridge after performing at the concert to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Two men, Junior Bradshaw, 30, and Kevin Liverpool, 33, both from Manchester, were charged last night with conspiracy to commit robbery and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.

Both men are due to appear at Exeter Magistrates’ Court tomorrow morning.

THE TELEGRAPH