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Ozzy Fights with Burgler
Ozzy wrestles jewelry burglar
Tuesday, November 23, 2004 Posted: 6:40 AM EST (1140 GMT)
LONDON, England -- Ozzy Osbourne fought off a burglar in his country mansion before the intruder jumped from a second-floor window and escaped with an accomplice and a "large amount" of jewelry.
The rocker and television star said he had the burglar in a headlock and tried to stop him from stealing his wife Sharon's wedding and engagement rings.
"He was a big, strong man. ... At one point I thought I could kill him to stop him hurting Sharon. But then I just let him drop," Osbourne told Britain's Sun tabloid.
"It was terrifying. I was looking to see if he had a knife. I can't get his staring eyes out of my mind."
The former Black Sabbath frontman said the incident left him feeling angry and violated, and that he intends to beef up security.
The burglary occurred about 4 a.m. Monday after the couple celebrated the birthday of Elton John's boyfriend, David Furnish, the UK's Press Association reported.
Police said "a large amount of jewelry" was taken from the couple's home in Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire, northwest of London.
The Osbournes are staying there while Sharon appears in the British TV talent show "The X-Factor."
Their children were not in the house at the time. Police said Osbourne's daughter, Kelly, was in Vancouver, Canada, and his son, Jack, was in Los Angeles.
Jay Marose, the family's spokesman in the United States, said he had spoken to Sharon Osbourne and that neither she nor Ozzy had been hurt.
"Ozzy and Sharon were in the house. They were woken up by the incident, eventually. My understanding is that the intruder was discovered in ... Sharon's dressing room," adjoining the main bedroom, he said.
The intruder had used a ladder to get into the first floor room and police believe he would have been injured by the jump.
In a statement, Thames Valley Police said: "The disturbance woke the residents and a man grabbed one of the burglars.
"The offender eventually managed to struggle free and then jumped out of the window and made off.
"Police believe the burglar who escaped would have been injured after jumping from the window, a drop of 30 feet (9 meters)."
The man who jumped from the window is described as being of large build, 5 feet 10 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall. He was wearing a ski mask, a light-colored jacket and trainers.
There is no description of the second man. Police believe the men were driving a large vehicle, possibly a van.
The break-in is the latest event in a turbulent recent history for the Osbournes, who were thrust back into the media spotlight following the success of their eponymous reality TV show.
Last December, Osbourne spent eight days in a coma after breaking his collarbone, six ribs and a vertebra in a quadbike accident at the Buckinghamshire estate.
"Changes," his duet with daughter Kelly, topped the charts in the weeks following the accident as Osbourne made his recovery.
Sharon Osbourne has battled back from a cancer scare and saw her U.S. talk show axed this year.
But she has bounced back as a judge on "The X-Factor." The couple also appeared together Friday night on the BBC's "Children In Need" program, an annual fund-raising charity extravaganza for disadvantaged children
Tuesday, November 23, 2004 Posted: 6:40 AM EST (1140 GMT)
LONDON, England -- Ozzy Osbourne fought off a burglar in his country mansion before the intruder jumped from a second-floor window and escaped with an accomplice and a "large amount" of jewelry.
The rocker and television star said he had the burglar in a headlock and tried to stop him from stealing his wife Sharon's wedding and engagement rings.
"He was a big, strong man. ... At one point I thought I could kill him to stop him hurting Sharon. But then I just let him drop," Osbourne told Britain's Sun tabloid.
"It was terrifying. I was looking to see if he had a knife. I can't get his staring eyes out of my mind."
The former Black Sabbath frontman said the incident left him feeling angry and violated, and that he intends to beef up security.
The burglary occurred about 4 a.m. Monday after the couple celebrated the birthday of Elton John's boyfriend, David Furnish, the UK's Press Association reported.
Police said "a large amount of jewelry" was taken from the couple's home in Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire, northwest of London.
The Osbournes are staying there while Sharon appears in the British TV talent show "The X-Factor."
Their children were not in the house at the time. Police said Osbourne's daughter, Kelly, was in Vancouver, Canada, and his son, Jack, was in Los Angeles.
Jay Marose, the family's spokesman in the United States, said he had spoken to Sharon Osbourne and that neither she nor Ozzy had been hurt.
"Ozzy and Sharon were in the house. They were woken up by the incident, eventually. My understanding is that the intruder was discovered in ... Sharon's dressing room," adjoining the main bedroom, he said.
The intruder had used a ladder to get into the first floor room and police believe he would have been injured by the jump.
In a statement, Thames Valley Police said: "The disturbance woke the residents and a man grabbed one of the burglars.
"The offender eventually managed to struggle free and then jumped out of the window and made off.
"Police believe the burglar who escaped would have been injured after jumping from the window, a drop of 30 feet (9 meters)."
The man who jumped from the window is described as being of large build, 5 feet 10 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall. He was wearing a ski mask, a light-colored jacket and trainers.
There is no description of the second man. Police believe the men were driving a large vehicle, possibly a van.
The break-in is the latest event in a turbulent recent history for the Osbournes, who were thrust back into the media spotlight following the success of their eponymous reality TV show.
Last December, Osbourne spent eight days in a coma after breaking his collarbone, six ribs and a vertebra in a quadbike accident at the Buckinghamshire estate.
"Changes," his duet with daughter Kelly, topped the charts in the weeks following the accident as Osbourne made his recovery.
Sharon Osbourne has battled back from a cancer scare and saw her U.S. talk show axed this year.
But she has bounced back as a judge on "The X-Factor." The couple also appeared together Friday night on the BBC's "Children In Need" program, an annual fund-raising charity extravaganza for disadvantaged children
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