UK pair 'plotted to murder' Joss Stone

TWO men have gone on trial in Britain accused of plotting to rob and murder soul diva Joss Stone.

Kevin Liverpool and Junior Bradshaw drove to the 25-year-old singer's home in Devon, southwest England in June 2011, with a sword, a knife, a hammer and notes of their intentions in their car, Exeter Crown Court heard on Monday.

The Grammy-winning singer was at home at the time.

Bradshaw, 32, and 35-year-old Liverpool deny charges of conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm and conspiracy to rob.

"This case is about a decision by a group of individuals, of which these defendants are two, to rob and kill Joss Stone," prosecutor Simon Morgan told the jury.

He described Stone, best known for hits including Super Duper Love and Fell In Love With A Boy, as "an extremely wealthy young woman".

Bradshaw and Liverpool were arrested in the Devon town of Cullompton after they were seen driving a few kilometres from Stone's home.

The trial is due to last about three weeks. Stone is not expected to attend.

She has sold more than 11 million albums worldwide, with her 2003 debut, The Soul Sessions, and its follow-up, Mind Body and Soul (2004) going platinum in Britain, the United States and the European Union.

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Murder charges over farmer deaths

The son of one of two brothers shot dead on a property in Victoria has been charged with their murders.

THE son of a farmer shot dead with his brother in country Victoria has been charged with two counts of murder.

Ross Streeter, 30, was charged last night.

He will appear in the Melbourne Magistrate's Court today.

Mr Streeter had been questioned over the deaths of Doug and John Streeter at Natte Yallock last Thursday.

The men died at the Streeter Lane property they farmed after being shot.

As searchers converged on the area where the brothers died, Doug's son, Ross, was released from hospital.

Mr Streeter was taken by homicide squad to crime department headquarters to be questioned over the shooting deaths.

He was arrested on Saturday, two days after the double tragedy at the central Victoria farm operated by his father and uncle.

Ross Streeter leaves St Kilda Rd police complex, charged with two counts of murder. Picture: Andrew Brownbill

Mr Streeter was found in Avoca, near the home of his father, with what police described as self-inflicted injuries.

He was taken under police escort to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Searchers spent Sunday scouring land around the death scene in Streeter Lane, Natte Yallock, looking for evidence.

It is not known whether the weapon used has been found.

The bodies of John and Doug Streeter were discovered at their property in Natte Yallock on Thursday.

Locals said there had been nothing to indicate the brothers felt under threat or had been troubled in the period before the tragedy at the Streeter Lane property.

A relative described the pair as good men.

"It's all a mystery. It's unbelievable. We're dumbfounded."

The men were shot between 8am and noon on Thursday, at least six hours before Doug Streeter's wife, Helen, discovered the bodies of her husband and brother-in-law.

Police and SES at the crime scene. Picture: Mark Dadswell

Investigators have called for witnesses who saw anyone acting strangely around the Streeter Lane area on Thursday morning.

Sgt Sol Solomon said the town of Avoca was reeling after the deaths of the "two highly respected citizens".

"It is an absolute tragedy for their families and an absolute tragedy for the Avoca community to lose two outstanding people," he said.

- with Rebekah Cavanagh

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Baby river murder case adjourned in Qld

A MAN charged with the river-plunge murder of his baby son will remain in custody for another three months.

David Paul Fisher, 39, was last year charged with killing his seven-month-old child after the pair plunged into the Logan River at Beenleigh, south of Brisbane.

At the time, police said Fisher had pushed baby Elijah in a stroller to the river on the night of June 23.

Fisher fell from a pedestrian bridge at the Logan River Parklands with Elijah in his arms. The father swam to shore but his son was lost.

The infant's body was recovered the next morning on the scrubby banks of the river, about 1.5 kilometres downstream from the bridge.

Fisher, who is being held in a high security mental health unit, was to have appeared in Beenleigh Magistrates Court by video link on Tuesday.

However the court was told he was unable to appear.

His committal hearing was adjourned for mention on June 4.

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