Actress Anna Friel tells court stalker left her feeling 'threatened and shocked'

Actress Anna Friel has told a tribunal however a antheral who stalked her for astir 3 years near her feeling "threatened and shocked".

Phil Appleton, 71, was handed a restraining bid of 15 years and a assemblage bid of 24 months connected Thursday aft helium pleaded blameworthy to stalking Ms Friel.

Appleton sent the histrion aggregate messages and visited her location code respective times, blowing kisses and mouthing "I emotion you" astatine the house's CCTV cameras arsenic good arsenic leaving "unwanted" gifts similar bare cigaret packets, betwixt 1 January 2022 and 11 December 2024, Reading Crown Court heard.

Ms Friel, who did not be the hearing, said successful a unfortunate connection work retired successful court: "As a pistillate successful the acting manufacture wherever determination person been a batch of cases of stalking, it inactive shocked maine erstwhile it happened to me.

"This lawsuit had made maine consciousness precise threatened and arsenic though I person to look implicit my enarthrosis each the time."

Appleton initially met the 49-year-old actress, who archetypal recovered fame successful the soap opera Brookside and is champion known for roles successful drama bid Pushing Daisies and the enigma play Marcella, portion she was connected a locomotion with her girl successful Windsor, Berkshire, wherever helium besides lived astatine the time.

Ms Friel believed she indispensable person worked with Appleton owed to the acquainted mode helium spoke to her and gave him her email address, authoritative Jay Patel said. Appleton started sending her regular messages successful April 2022.

"In those emails, helium said that helium loved Ms Friel and missed her, helium invited her to luncheon and meal astatine his home, helium was telling his friends that helium was going to wed Ms Friel," Mr Patel said.

"She decided not to respond successful the anticipation that helium would stop."

But the messages did not stop, and Appleton's obsession with Ms Friel appeared to escalate, with the 71-year-old telling the histrion that helium wanted to wed her and sending her details of a wedding helium was seemingly planning, the tribunal heard.

He archetypal went to her location code towards the extremity of 2023 portion helium was dressed successful a meal overgarment to invitation Ms Friel to travel to a shot with him.

In December 2024, Appleton went to Ms Friel's location again and was caught looking done her lounge window, Mr Patel said. The authoritative added that Appleton handed Ms Friel's girl an bare battalion of cigarettes to springiness to her mother.

CCTV footage revealed Appleton had been lasting extracurricular Ms Friel's location for respective minutes earlier helium was spotted, making "facial expressions arsenic though helium was communicating with someone" astatine the camera, mouthing the words "I emotion you" and holding up a ring, according to Mr Patel.

On 10 December 2024, Appleton returned to Ms Friel's location and erstwhile again near an bare packet of cigarettes and a woody ring, arsenic good arsenic mouthing thing and blowing kisses astatine the CCTV camera.

He was arrested the adjacent time and aboriginal admitted to a intelligence wellness hospital, from wherever helium was discharged successful February 2025. He was remanded successful custody for six months until helium was granted conditional bail successful August, erstwhile helium pleaded blameworthy to a stalking offence.

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Appleton felt "unreserved apology and shame astir his behaviour", his defence lawyer told the court, adding that the suspect "wishes thing much than to instrumentality to the law-abiding beingness helium has lived each these years".

As portion of the restraining order, Appleton indispensable not approach, follow, oregon interaction Ms Friel oregon her daughter, straight oregon indirectly, and indispensable enactment distant from the country surrounding Ms Friel's location successful Windsor.

Judge Alan Blake said Appleton's compliance with the assemblage bid requirements volition besides beryllium monitored electronically for the adjacent 12 months.