Leanne Zaloumis, who broke into Cowell's London mansion on Saturday, March 24 night, has been charged with one count of aggravated burglary, and is set to appear in court on Monday.
- Mar 26, 2012
AceShowbiz - Simon Cowell's hi-tech security system apparently fails to keep him away from coming face to face with an intruder at his London home. The former "American Idol" judge found himself in a terrifying situation on Saturday, March 24 night when he encountered a woman, who was armed with a brick, in his bathroom.
The woman, who has been identified as Leanne Zaloumis, broke into Cowell's mansion as the music mogul got ready to watch his appearance on ITV's "Jonathan Ross Show", The Sun reported. His spokesman Max Clifford detailed, "There was a loud bang and Simon rushed upstairs to find out what was going on. It came from the bathroom so he went in - and there was a woman standing there holding a brick."
Zaloumis "had smashed her way in through the window and it was unclear how long she had been there or what she was doing," Clifford continued to explain what happened, before noting, "It was a very frightening experience for Simon, who told me it was like something from a horror movie. He was just very lucky that all she had was a brick. She could have had a knife, a gun or any other weapon."
Also confirming the incident was a Scotland Yard spokesman. "Police were called at approximately 22:35 on Saturday to reports of a disturbance," the rep said. "Officers attended the address and found a woman had forced entry to the premises. She was arrested on suspicion of burglary and taken to a west London police station."
Since the incident, Zaloumis has been charged with one count of aggravated burglary. The 29-year-old woman from Catford, South East London is set to appear at West London Magistrates' Court on Monday, March 26.
Cowell was said to be left stunned by the incident because he had upped the security of his home. Back in 2007, the judge of "The X Factor (US)" bragged to the Mirror, "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."
