The two men accused of conspiracy to murder Exeter singer Joss Stone have been found guilty at Exeter Court.
The Guilty verdicts against Junior Bradshaw, 32, and Kevin Liverpool, 35 were unanimous after only four hours deliberations by jury."
The defendants, both of St Stephen's Close, Longsight, Manchester, were accused of conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm and conspiracy to rob. The pair deny the charges.
During the trial the jury were told of notes written by Liverpool showing they wanted to behead her using a Samurai sword because of her links to the royal family, including singing at charity events run by Princes William and Harry and attending the wedding of William and Kate Middleton.
The men from Longsight in Manchester denied charges of conspiracy to murder, the alternative charges of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm and conspiracy to rob.
The jury found Bradshaw and Liverpool guilty of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to rob after a three-week trial at Exeter Crown Court.
Kevin Liverpool has been sentenced to life imprisonment and will serve a minimum of 10 years and 8 months.
The sentencing of Junior Bradshaw has been adjourned until a later date.
Following the conviction and sentencing, Superintendent Steve Parker the Senior Investigating Officer said;
'This has been a long and difficult investigation. While on the face of it the circumstances speak for themselves, the enquiry has involved some complex areas of law and presented significant challenges to the investigation team.
'Devon and Cornwall is an extremely safe place to live and incidents such as this are thankfully extremely rare in our area. I have no doubt that Liverpool and Bradshaw were intending to harm Miss Stone and it was through the alertness of the public and good police work that we were able to bring this incident to a successful conclusion.
'I would like to thank those members of the public who recognised the suspicious behaviour of Liverpool and Bradshaw and acted positively by calling the police, along with those who have supported the investigation by providing witness statements. I would also like to highlight the professionalism and quick thinking of the attending officers who saw through the innocent picture they were presented with and whose actions foiled the defendant's plan.
' I would also like to commend the investigation team who have worked tirelessly on this enquiry, and turned every stone to reveal the evidence hidden beneath in what have at times been extremely trying circumstances.
'Finally I would like to thank joss Stone, her family and management for their ongoing support and assistance to the investigation team throughout this investigation, despite the distressing and disturbing nature of the events which were being uncovered. I am aware that as a result of this incident she has reviewed her security arrangements, but I am sure she will continue to be a prominent and popular member of her local community.'
Detective Sergeant Martin Sutcliffe, the Deputy SIO said,
'I am proud of the application and dedication to duty of the Officer's in my team who have traced and spoken to a large number of witnesses (Both here and in Manchester), secured extensive CCTV, Identified the origins of the vehicle and items within it, carried out searches and worked with medical experts to try and ensure all evidence relating to this incident was secured.
'I would also like to thank Joss Stone, her family and management team who have shown continued support and assisted in any way they could despite their considerable commitments'.
