photo: FoxSaturday should have been a night of celebration for Simon Cowell, as he returned to England's airwaves on "Britain's Got Talent" and discovered one potential new star, Jonathan Antoine, who is already being touted as the next Susan Boyle. But that same evening, Simon's $14 million, five-bedroom mansion, in posh Holland Park, West London, was reportedly burglarized, while he was actually inside the house.
According to British paper The Mirror, Simon was at his home watching television by himself around 10:30pm local time (only about 90 minutes after "BGT's" big premiere had aired), when a 29-year-old woman named Leanne Zaloumis entered the house by breaking a bathroom window with a brick. She reportedly wandered around the home freely and hid in Simon's walk-in wardrobe, and Britain's Daily Mail actually reported that at one point the intruder, believed to be an "overzealous fan," was "laying on Simon's bed in his bedroom." However, later Simon's rep, Max Clifford, clarified that the woman was apprehended in the bathroom, where Simon found her holding a brick.
The Mirror reported that Simon was, understandably, "pretty shaken up" by this incident. Nothing was apparently stolen from the home and no one was harmed.
Leanne Zaloumis appeared at West London Magistrate Court on Monday and was charged with one count of aggravated burglary with intent. Simon's spokesperson Max appeared on the British TV show "This Morning" today and said: "Simon got back from 'Britain's Got Talent' and was sitting watching 'Jonathan Ross' when there was suddenly a huge crash. He went to investigate and there was a woman standing there. His housekeeper was there and his security was close by, so she was quickly apprehended. It was terrifying, but as Simon said, 'You've got to say I was lucky.' Last night when I spoke to him he was still shaky but settled down."
Max also told The Sun, "It was very frightening for Simon, who told me it was like something from a horror movie."
This was not the first time Simon had experienced a security scare. In 2007, his home was reportedly targeted by thieves, and Simon told The Mirror at the time: "I've spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on the very best security, and I can assure you my homes are as safe as the Bank of England." This makes it especially surprising that an unwelcome visitor was able to thwart his presumably high-tech security measures and gain access to his home using only a low-tech brick.
So add some brick-proof windows to your home security system, stat, Simon! Be safe!
Related links: