The English countryside ain’t as quaint as it used to be-just ask the Osbournes.
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne had quite the scare about 4 a.m. Monday as a jewel heist unfolded at their Buckinghamshire mansion.
According to police reports, burglars got away with a “large amount of jewelry” (estimated at 1 million pounds-or more than $1.9 million) and remain at large.
The hard-rocking couple were home sleeping at the time of the break-in, but were not hurt-despite Ozzy’s best efforts.
“The disturbance woke the residents, and a man grabbed one of the burglars,” the Thames Valley Police said in a statement.
Apparently, that “man” was none other than the heavy-metal icon himself.
According to a report published in London’s Sun newspaper, the 55-year-old “Iron Man” singer was awakened by noises in his manse and decided to investigate. He came upon one of the intruders in Shraon’s dressing room, which adjoins the couple’s bedroom, and, according to the Sun, grabbed the crook in a headlock to keep him from swiping the family heirlooms, including a gold wedding ring belonging to Sharon.
“He was a big, strong man-but at one point I thought I could kill him to stop him hurting Sharon,” the rocker is quoted as telling the Sun.
“It was terrifying, I was looking to see if he had a knife.” Perhaps Osbourne was recalling the 2000 incident in which a psychotic man broke into George Harrison’s countryside home and stabbed the former Beatle, nearly killing him.
Police said that “the offender eventually managed to struggle free and then jumped out of the window and made off.” The cops declined to release any more information pending a Tuesday press conference.
The two ski-mask-sporting bandits reportedly used a ladder to climb into the house. They escaped via a van.
The Osbournes do employ security guards-in fact, one guard was credited with saving Ozzy’s life following an ATV accident at the country estate last December-but it is not known if any were stationed at the house at the time of the break-in. In any case, Ozzy is now reviewing his security options, per the Scotsman.
None of the Osbournes’ kids were reportedly in the house. The former Black Sabbath metal man and his manager wife are currently holed up in their British digs while she appears on the hit ITV talent show The X-Factor.
