US man gets suspended sentence for stalking actress Claire Foy

An American man on Friday received a suspended jail term in the UK for stalking "The Crown" actress Claire Foy, on condition he returns to the United States.

Justin Penrose was given a one year and 10 months jail term, suspended for two years, after he was found guilty late last year of stalking the 38-year-old actress.

Foy, who played a young Queen Elizabeth II in the hit Netflix series, described the effect on her of Penrose's campaign of harassment in a statement read by the judge at the Old Bailey court.

"I feel like the freedoms I enjoyed before Mr Penrose contacted me have now gone," she said. "I view the world in a much more fearful way."

In court Penrose, who has paranoid schizophrenia, admitted breaching a five-year stalking ban order imposed in July last year after he bombarded Foy with emails and arrived at her home.

Penrose breached the ban by sending Foy a letter and parcel.

His sentence was suspended on condition he receives psychiatric treatment in the UK and cooperates with being repatriated to the United States, where he will live with his mother in Florida.

Judge David Aaronberg imposed a fresh restraining order banning Penrose from contacting Foy or going to certain London districts or close to any building where he believes Foy to be.

The judge said he was "troubled" that the convicted stalker may continue to be "infatuated" with Foy.

The actress starred as the British monarch in the first two seasons of the popular series about the British royal family, winning an Emmy for her portrayal.

In 2021 she played an aristocrat caught up in a divorce scandal in "A Very British Scandal". She also appeared in "Wolf Hall", a television adaptation of Hilary Mantel's books.

Her latest film, "Women Talking" is about systemic sexual abuse in an ultraconservative religious colony.

Penrose posed as a Hollywood producer to gain initial access to Foy. He then sent her graphic emails and also contacted her sister and ex-boyfriend.

© 2023 AFP