16/07/2007

Kerry Katona held captive by armed robbers

Armed robbers have held former pop star Kerry Katona captive in her own home.

Three masked men, armed with a knife, sledgehammers and crowbars, broke into Katona's house in Wilmslow on Sunday night.

It is understood that Katona, 26, and her five-month-old baby daughter Heidi were kept in a room downstairs while the burglars took her husband, Mark Croft, 36, around the house looking for valuables to steal.

They were all later locked in a room, but Katona and Croft managed to free themselves and raise the alarm.

It is understood that around £100,000 worth of goods were stolen from the house, including the couple's BMW, two computers, two gaming machines, two televisions and jewellery.

Katona's publicist Max Clifford said that she was a in a "terrible state" and that it had been a "terrifying experience". He said: "When I spoke to her this morning she was in floods of tears and absolutely distraught.

"Luckily they weren't hurt, but Kerry was held at knifepoint and the robbers threatened to kill them."

Katona, who left the group Atomic Kitten in 2001 and went on to win reality TV show 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here' in 2004, has two other daughters - Molly and Lilly-Sue - with former husband, ex-Westlife singer Bryan McFadden, but they were not in the house at the time.

Police have appealed for information about the blue BMW M5 that was stolen. The car, registration WFO 6KMM, is said to have distinctive trims and badges.

(KMcA/JM)


Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

26 March 2008
Kerry Katona Hospitalised Over Pregnancy Fears
Pregnant TV star Kerry Katona has been taken to hospital amid fears that she is suffering from the potentially life-threatening condition pre-eclampsia. The 27-year-old, who is currently starring in MTV reality show 'Crazy In Love', was admitted to hospital in Macclesfield, Cheshire, her publicist Max Clifford has confirmed.
18 August 2009
Katona Axed By Iceland
Troubled reality TV star Kerry Katona has been dropped as the face of supermarket chain Iceland. The retailer said it was now "impossible" for Katona to fulfill her lucrative advertising contract. Katona faced fresh allegations of substance abuse at the weekend, when a Sunday tabloid ran pictures of her apparently snorting the Class A drug cocaine.
29 February 2008
January House Prices Show Slight Increase
House prices in England and Wales increased by just 0.9% in January, according to the latest monthly figures from Land Registry. The increase takes the average house price to £186,045. However, the data shows a decline in annual house price changes, from 6.7% last month to 6.4% this month. London experienced annual price growth of 13.
13 August 2007
House Prices Rise By 12% In June
UK annual house price inflation in June 2007 was 12.1%, up from 10.8% in May 2007. Annual house price inflation in London was 17.5% in June, up from 14.3% in May. The UK annual house price inflation rate for the 3 months to June was 11.3% and 15.1% in London. The UK house price inflation rate rose from 10.8% in May 2007 to 12.1% in June 2007.
12 December 2005
House price inflation drops
Annual house price inflation dropped again in October, according to the latest figures from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. House price inflation was 2.2% in October, a fall from September’s figure of 3.3%. The ODPM reported that the average house price in the UK was £186,103 in October, compared with £186,755 in September.