Joss Stone Murder Plot Co-Accused 'Had Never Heard of Singer'

A man accused of plotting to murder Joss Stone has told a court that he had never heard of the star before he was arrested.

Junior Bradshaw, who is on trial alongside Kevin Liverpool, claimed that he believed he was going on a day out when he was picked up by police a few miles from her Devon home in June 2011.

The defendants, both from Manchester, are accused of targeting the 25-year-old singer.

When Bradshaw, 32, and Liverpool, 35, were arrested police found a samurai sword, a jackknife and a hammer plus handwritten notes that revealed "perfectly clearly" their intentions to rob and kill her, the court was told.

Bradshaw, who had previously been treated for schizophrenia, told the jury that did not remember what time they left Manchester or where they were going.

Exeter Crown Court had previously heard that the pair had described the Super Duper hitmaker as a "She-Devil".

In one 2007 diary entry Liverpool wrote: "God doesn't give a f**k. Protect yourself from this. Remember Jocelyn Stone. God let her take the p**s."

Other entries mentioned buying a semi-automatic gun, a gun holder, a silencer and infrared equipment, as well as a ninja sword.

The pair deny conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm and conspiracy to commit robbery.

The trial, which is expected to last up to three weeks, continues.