Claire Foy thought stalker ‘was going to kill her and her daughter’ after he turned up at her home
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The Crown star Claire Foy feared for her and her daughter’s lives after an obsessed American stalker showed up at her home last year.
Jason Penrose, 49, bombarded Ms. Foy’s publicist Emma Jackson with more than 1,000 explicit emails, including one referring to rape between February 19, 2021 and February 7, 2022.
On December 17, 2021, the Golden-Globe-winning actress was shocked to discover that Penrose had shown up at her home and rang the doorbell repeatedly, the court heard from Thames Magistrates.
The 38-year-old suffers sleepless nights and said the ordeal has affected “every aspect” of her life – Ms Foy even begged a friend not to tag her in photos in case Penrose used them to track her movements.
Penrose, who admitted to violating his warrant against stalking, faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of stalking.
He was released on bail ahead of his next hearing date before the Wood Green Crown Court on November 28.
A court heard Jason Penrose (pictured), 49, stalked actress Claire Foy for a year and showed up at her home
The Crown actress said in a letter to the court that Penrose’s “relentless attempts” to contact her are “traumatic” and have affected every aspect of her life.
Varinder Hayre, prosecutor, said: ‘Mrs Foy has been targeted by Mr Penrose in a persistent, unwanted, fixated and obsessive behavior that has been intrusive because of his delusions.
“Mr. Penrose claimed she was romantically interested in him and he really believed she would like to star in a movie he was planning to make.”
Penrose launched a “consistent stalking campaign” by sending thousands of emails and eight telephone exchanges and going to the star’s home.
On the night he went to Mrs. Foy’s address, her daughter answered the doorphone and Penrose said, “It’s Jason, I’m outside.”
The stalking left the actress “in genuine fear for her safety and terrified and helpless in her own home.”
Penrose initially contacted Ms. Foy through her agent and publicist who claimed to be a film producer.
He said he was a screenwriter on a $20 million deal with Warner Brothers Studio and wanted Ms. Foy to appear in his sci-fi movie.
Penrose initially contacted Ms. Foy’s agent posing as a screenwriter with a $20 million deal with Warner Brothers Studio
Ms Hayre described some of the emails Penrose sent as “pretty graphic.”
She said: ‘He told me that the victim had raped Mrs Foy and wanted her to be his girlfriend.
“There were pictures of Mr. Penrose himself in various hotels and locations in Camden.”
Penrose also contacted Mrs. Foy’s sister by email and her ex-boyfriend via text message.
“Mrs Foy was terrified because she didn’t know what he meant. She feared for her and her daughter’s life,” said Mr Hayre.
“She was afraid he was somewhere.”
The stalking had “an extreme effect on her life and peace of mind.”
“She has a hard time sleeping and is terrified in her own house. She feels like the freedoms before Mr. Penrose contacted her are now gone,” Hayre added.
Ms. Foy even asked friends not to tag her or post her in photos at social events for fear that Mr. Penrose could track her where she is.
In a letter to the court, Ms Foy said: “His relentless attempts to contact me are so traumatic. Every time I think this is fixed, it isn’t.
“I feel like there’s nothing stopping him from contacting me, he’s impacted every aspect of my life.”
A judge issued Penrose with a five-year stalking warrant earlier this year after Ms Foy expressed her concerns
The actress played the Queen in the first two series of Netflix’s hit show and has won a Golden Globe, two Emmy Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Earlier this year, she was given a provisional protection order against stalking, but despite the order, Penrose sent her another letter and a package from the hospital where he was being treated.
District Judge Michael Oliver had previously issued a five-year stalking warrant against Penrose in July after the actress expressed “great concern about the nature of the communication.”
Penrose, dressed in a white shirt and brown cap, appeared before Thames Magistrates’ Court today charged with stalking involving serious alarm or fear – carrying the maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
He also admitted to two violations of a stalking protection order.
Penrose was joined by NHS staff and gave his address as Whittington Hospital in north London.
He was released on bail at Wood Green Crown Court on November 28.
District Judge William Nelson said: “I think this offense exceeds the threshold of the powers this court has to impose a sentence.
‘I agree with the Public Prosecution Service where the starting point is two years and six months in prison.
“The persistent behavior caused very severe stress, a lot of psychological damage and caused Mrs. Foy to change her lifestyle significantly.”
The judge warned Penrose that he could face “a long prison sentence.”
Penrose, originally from the US, has been released on conditional bail.
He must surrender his passport to the police, not apply for travel documents, live and sleep as directed by the Islington NHS Trust, not contact Ms Foy directly or indirectly or go to an address he knows or suspects is Ms Foy’s address is.
From the harbour, Penrose said, “I don’t feel like it.”
Prior to his sentence, a medical report and a pre-sentence report were ordered.
Moira MacFarlane, defensively, said: ‘It was misrepresented in the papers that he had threatened Ms Foy with rape and that was never the case. He was referring to rape.’