The Crown star Claire Foy was under “significant risk” from an alleged stalker who sent her over 1,000 emails in a month, a court has heard.
Foy, 38, who played the young queen in the first two series of the hit Netflix show, was allegedly targeted by Jason Penrose, 39, in November and December last year.
Penrose, who gave his address as Highgate Mental Health Centre, was accompanied by NHS workers at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court in London on Thursday.
There have clearly been acts that amount to stalking, posing a significant risk to Ms Foy— Rosa Bennathan
Rosa Bennathan, on behalf of the Metropolitan Police, applied for a full stalking protection order (SPO) against Penrose.
Police can apply at the magistrates’ court for a civil SPO to block alleged stalkers from contacting or approaching their alleged victims while a criminal investigation into their behaviour continues.
Ms Bennathan said in August and September 2021, Penrose sent an email to Foy’s agent, saying he was a film director and producer and wanted her to appear in his next film.
Foy told her agent she did not know who he was, and from November 2 to mid-December, he sent over 1,000 emails, contacted the actress’s sister and attended her address after finding out where it was, the court heard.
Emails were also sent to Foy’s publicist, Emma Jackson, it was alleged.
Applying for the full order, Ms Bennathan said: “There have clearly been acts that amount to stalking, posing a significant risk to Ms Foy.”
She said the order was “necessary to protect them”.
However, the hearing to decide on a full SPO was adjourned until July 22 after Penrose arrived unrepresented at the court.
Moira McFarlane, who later arrived to represent him, opted for adjournment, saying: “His mental health is still under question.”
An interim SPO was originally granted in February and has been extended until July 28.
It prevents Penrose from contacting Foy or Ms Jackson, as well as him attending their homes, workplaces or anywhere they reasonably expect they would be.
Any breach of the order can be prosecuted as a criminal offence.
Magistrate Clive Jenkin, told him: “If you are relieved from the mental health centre we would be very concerned about your behaviour.”
He warned Penrose not to attempt to communicate with the claimants, to which he replied: “I won’t, I promise you.”
Foy, who has won a Golden Globe, two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, starred in Steven Soderbergh’s psychological thriller Unsane, and played Neil Armstrong’s wife Janet Shearon in the biopic of the astronaut, First Man.
Penrose is said to have sent Ms Jackson explicit emails, writing about “wanting her to be his girlfriend”, according to court papers.
In one, on November 2, he allegedly said: “I’m sorry I think Claire(‘s) policy should be not talking about any personal stuff in media and only creative business.”
Ms Jackson forwarded the emails to Foy’s agent, who had also received messages but had blocked the account.
On December 17 last year, Foy “called the police to report that Jason Penrose was outside her residence ringing on her doorbell constantly”, the papers said.
