EXCLUSIVE: Nightmare for celebrity couple as cops warn them of plot
By Lucy Panton
A CRACK team of elite cops raced to protect top model Jordan after dicovering a millionpound plot to kidnap one of her children.
The mega-wealthy blonde and her family have been given special protection after Scotland Yard's snatchbuster squad got a tip-off that three-year-old Harvey and 11-month-old Junior were under threat.
Detectives discovered a gang of foreign and London crooks planned to take one of the tots hostage and issue Jordan and pop star husband Peter Andre with a £1million ransom demand.
Officers last night described it as "a very real threat".
As soon as the news reached police through underworld informers, an investigation was launched to identify and infiltrate the gang.
Jordan, 27, and Peter, 33, had no idea their tots were targets until worried cops contacted them.
The terrifying scam mirrors a plot against the Beckhams six years ago, when the News of the World uncovered plans to snatch Victoria and son Brooklyn. Liaison officers from the same unit that handled that case have spent the last month in constant contact with Peter and Jordan to protect them and the children. A police source revealed: "We uncovered the plot at an early stage and it appeared sophisticated.
"It was immediately taken very seriously and security was put in place around the family."
A panic button and a monitored alarm system have been installed at Jordan's £750,000 country home in Maresfield, East Sussex.
An official Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed last night: "The Metropolitan Police specialist kidnap unit are investigating intelligence about a threat to kidnap and extra security has been put in place to protect the family."
Jordan—real name Katie Price— has also been offered police minders when she takes her children out. A friend said: "Obviously Katie's main concern is for her kids.
"She's used to being in the limelight and knows the risks which that brings—particularly when her fortune has been so widely discussed. She has been targeted by burglars in the past.
"But this is different—it's a sinister turn because it puts the boys at risk. Katie is working closely with police to do everything in her power to keep them safe."
Friends fear the pin-up queen's fame and showy displays of wealth—including her fleet of cars and £3.5million holiday home in Cyprus— make her a prime kidnap target.
Just this week the former Page Three girl, reckoned to be worth £10million, spoke of her ambition to become "the world's richest woman" before she's 30.
Jordan—whose first son Harvey was fathered by former Manchester United star Dwight Yorke—declared: "I know I'll top that Rich List."
The model, who is trying to reinvent herself in a bid to go upmarket, was recently snapped by David Bailey for swish American Vogue magazine and is determined to conquer the USA.
Her five-acre Sussex spread is already protected by a £10,000 security fence topped with barbed wire. Now it is under surveillance by cops, too.
Only last June—around the time their son Junior was born—Jordan and Peter were forced to beef up security after ram-raiders broke through the perimeter. They bypassed the alarm sensors but fled empty-handed when Jordan's mum Amy spotted them and alerted the police.
Officers probing the latest threat do not believe the cases are linked. Our insider said: "There's an awful lot of work going on to build up evidence and nail this gang."
The timetable of the snatch plot and details of exactly where the villains planned to strike is being kept secret.
Our investigation into the similar Beckham plot led to the arrest of five men accused of planning to hold the England captain's wife to ransom.
When the prosecution case collapsed one of the criminals, Alin Turcu, tried to sue us—but a High Court judge ruled that our exclusive story WAS accurate.
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