BRITAIN: A shaken Ozzy Osbourne spoke yesterday of the terrifying moment he confronted a burglar at his luxury mansion in England and said he just acted "on impulse"
The former Black Sabbath frontman refused to describe in detail the struggle at his home in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, in which £2 million (€2.8m) worth of jewellery was stolen.
But his angry wife Sharon launched a stinging attack on the two intruders, saying their attitude "pisses me off big time". She told reporters that she and Ozzy had worked hard to pay for the jewellery that was taken, including her wedding bands and a perfect 24-carat sapphire bought as an investment for her daughters.
"I came from Brixton, Ozzy came from not a very nice part of Birmingham and everything we have, we have worked our arses off for," she said.
"If I choose to make an investment for my kids in whatever way I choose to make it, that's my business. I worked for every goddamn penny. When somebody comes who hasn't worked and wants to take what's yours, you know, it pisses me off big time."
A £100,000 (€143,000) reward has been put up by the celebrity couple for information leading to the conviction of the two intruders.
Sharon lost a diamond daisy chain necklace, a 20th wedding anniversary gift from Ozzy, two rare Franck Muller watches, a string of pearls with a diamond clasp and a diamond ring shaped like a rose. The burglars also took the perfect 24-carat sapphire known as "The Swimming Pool" and her wedding bands, bought by Ozzy when they renewed their vows two years ago to replace a ring bought at H Samuel when they first met.
Her "survival" ring, a 10-carat diamond bought by Ozzy after her battle against cancer, also went.
Ozzy revealed that he had acted "just purely on impulse. In hindsight, it could have been a lot worse, I could have been like George Harrison [ the late former Beatle who nearly died from stab wounds when he confronted an intruder]. I could have been badly injured or anything. It could have got really ugly. I just thank God that no-one got injured."
Asked if he would tackle a burglar again he responded: "Is the Pope a Catholic?
"It hasn't had a very good reflection on me about the state of crime in this country," he said "We've lived in Los Angeles, people get shot every day, we've been trailed by stalkers and we have come back to England. I'm just very disappointed, that's all."
Det Insp Paul Miller, of Thames Valley Police, said officers had received a call from Sharon at around 4 a.m. on Monday saying there was a burglar in the house who had got in through a first floor window. It is thought a ladder was used to gain access and that the raider with whom Ozzy struggled may have been injured as he jumped 30ft down to escape.
"We need to know who has done this to Sharon and Ozzy and we also need to know where the items of jewellery stolen are right now," DI Miller said. The officer added that police were "keeping an open mind" over the possibility that the burglary at the mansion, where security is tight, was an inside job. - (PA)