Joss Stone's security arrangements were so lax, the soul singer rarely locked the doors to her countryside mansion.

The You Had Me hitmaker was at the centre of a kidnap and murder plot in 2011 when a gang of thugs plotted to snatch her from her home in Devon, south west England and kill her for her $16 million (£10 million) fortune, a court in the U.K. has heard.

Stone took the stand on Tuesday (19Mar13) to give evidence in the case and she shocked onlookers by confessing that prior to the scare, her luxury home had no locks on the doors and she would not even switch on the burglar alarm.

The singer, real name Jocelyn Stoker, told a jury at Exeter Crown Court it was normal behaviour for families in the remote village where she lives to leave their homes unsecured.

She said, "I had an alarm but I didn't really turn it on very much... I didn't really have a lock on my door, which I should have had... I've been living in Devon for a really long time and no one really shuts their door."

When asked to recall the moment cops told her they had foiled an alleged plot to murder her, Stone said, "Apart from the police coming round and telling me that someone was trying to kidnap and kill me - apart from that, it was a nice day."

The hearing was also told that in the weeks before the incident, a neighbour had spotted two or three men acting suspiciously in a car in the quiet village.

Junior Bradshaw, 32, and Kevin Liverpool, 35, were arrested near Stone's home in June, 2011. The court has heard officers found a cache of weapons in their vehicle - including a Samurai sword, a hammer, and a lock knife - and later discovered handwritten notes suggesting they were planning to behead the soul star.

Bradshaw and Liverpool, both from Manchester, England deny conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to commit assault causing grievous bodily harm, and conspiracy to rob.

The trial continues.