Ozzy Osbourne, the former Black Sabbath frontman, announced a £100,000 reward on Tuesday for information leading to the return of jewelry stolen from his home near Chalfont Saint Peter in southern England the previous night.
Osbourne, 55, discovered one of two intruders at around 4 a.m. in his wife Sharon's dressing room, next to the master bedroom. Both burglars fled, taking an estimated £2 million in gems, including Sharon's wedding rings and a 24-carat sapphire she had purchased as an investment for their daughters.
The reward was offered jointly by the family and Lloyd's of London. Thames Valley Police detective inspector Paul Miller called Osbourne's decision to physically confront the intruder "very courageous," and said police were not ruling out the possibility of an inside job.
Osbourne told reporters he had no regrets, though he noted the incident could have turned far worse, pointing to the 1999 stabbing of Beatle George Harrison by a home intruder. Harrison died of cancer in November 2001.
Sharon Osbourne said the theft was a personal affront, telling reporters the couple had worked hard for everything they own.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in November 2004, in its own words.