Two men have been convicted of hatching a plot to rob and kill the pop star Joss Stone.
Kevin Liverpool was jailed for life with a minimum term of 10 years and eight months after being found guilty of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to rob after a three-week trial at Exeter crown court. The sentencing of Junior Bradshaw, who was convicted of the same charges, was adjourned.
Bradshaw, 32, and Liverpool, 35, harboured deep hatred for the soul singer.
In a statement after the verdicts, Stone said: "I'd like to thank everyone for all their support and kind wishes.
"I am relieved the trial is now over and that these men are no longer in a position to cause harm to anyone."
The defendants, both from Longsight, in Manchester, denied charges of conspiracy to murder, alternative charges of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm and conspiracy to rob.
The pair set off from their home in Manchester with a samurai sword, knives, bags and gloves crammed into their Fiat Punto, bound for Stone's address in Devon.
However, their plot immediately began to unravel. They were spoken to by police having been involved in a crash on the journey to the West Country.
Bradshaw and Liverpool also asked a postman for directions to Stone's home in Ashill using a picture of the pop star in an attempt to track her down.
Notes found in the defendants' possession showed they intended to decapitate the pop star before dumping her body in a river, the prosecution told jurors.
Bradshaw and Liverpool were arrested on the morning of 13 June 2011 a few miles from Stone's home when concerned local residents – spotting their crash-damaged car – called police.
Police officers discovered Bradshaw did not have a driving licence and arrested him.
They searched the Punto and found a stash of weapons, including a black-handled samurai sword, three knives, a section of garden hosepipe, two £1 hammers, black gloves and balaclavas and a further holdall containing a metal spike, black bags and black tape. There were also print-outs of AA routefinder maps from Manchester to Devon.
Liverpool was branded a fantasist by his own lawyer. Notes he wrote found in the car and his flat in Manchester included references to robbing, killing and beheading the singer and dumping her body in a river. Other documents also "appear to express disapproval of the royal family".
One note added: "The Queen – she-devil. But she likes Joss Stone. Invited to Will's wedding by Queen. Where's the sense in that?"
A search of the one-bedroom flat Bradshaw and Liverpool shared also recovered a self-cocking crossbow and a BB gun. Police also found Liverpool's rambling handwritten diaries, which talked of the need to buy a semi-automatic gun, a silencer, infra-red sights and a "ninja" sword.
He called Stone "princess" and other entries referred to "Jocelyn RIP – try to get info. Rob and kill."
Another said: "Jocelyn – devil. She devil in flesh. The Queen. She devil/her system take the p … Destroy the Queen's system."
The prosecutor Simon Morgan told the court: "This case is about a decision by a group of individuals, of which these defendants are two, to rob and kill Joss Stone.
"In interview, the defendants, in essence, declined to comment. The items in their possession, the trips to the area, the fact that the intended victim was at home, the notes and maps all point to a determined effort on the part of the defendants to carry out the plan they had hatched some time before.
"The evidence established that they intended to rob and kill their target using the equipment they had with them."
Giving evidence to jurors, the soul star admitted there was lax security at her home but said she only learned of the plot against her from police.
Stone, who was referred to by her real name, Jocelyn Stoker, said: "I've lived in Devon for a long time and nobody really shuts their door.
"I had an alarm but I did not really turn it on very much. I didn't really have a lock on my door … But I do now."
The consultant psychiatrist Dr Michael Alcock said Bradshaw suffered from disorganised schizophrenia and had such a poor concept of time that he thinks the alleged murder plot only happened two or three months ago. Bradshaw has spent time detained under the Mental Health Act in psychiatric units.