Kevin Liverpool and Junior Bradshaw could have killed Joss Stone. The songstress may have narrowly escaped being beheaded by these two blokes.
In June of 2011, the two men travelled from Manchester to the where Stone lived in Devon. They were armed, they were determined, and they had a plan. They were going to cut Joss Stone’s head off and throw her body in a river.
“I’ve got no doubt that Liverpool and Bradshaw intended to harm Miss Stone and that without the vigilance of the public and the good work of our officers, they represented a serious threat to her,” said Superintendent Steve Parker, the senior investigating officer on the case.
The two men drove around, trying to find Joss Stone’s house. They even stopped a postman and asked for directions. Eventually area residents got suspicious and called police.
The men were stopped and searched. It was discovered that they carried weapons, including a samurai sword, and notes detailing their plan to kill Stone.
During the trial, it was revealed that robbery was the motive.
When sentencing the two men, Judge Gilbert said, “It is clear from your text messages on your phone that from as early as November 2010 you had been planning to rob someone of what you hoped would be in excess of £1 million. By January 2011… you had identified Joss Stone as the target.”
The two men were given stiff jail sentences. Liverpool was sentenced to life, with a minimum of ten years to serve before any parole hearing. Bradshaw was given 18 years.
But now an appeals court judge has reduced the sentences for the two men. Liverpool had his minimum reduced to 6 1/2 years. Bradshaw’s total sentence was reduced to 10 years. No explanation has been given for the reduction.
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