Stalker forced me into hiding, reveals TV star Christine
TV PRESENTER Christine Lampard was forced to hide in a bedroom with her housekeeper when a stalker turned up at her home, a court heard.
Obsessed Christof King convinced himself he had a chance of a relationship with the Loose Women star, who is married to the former England footballer Frank Lampard.
King, 39, believed Mrs Lampard, who is pregnant with her first child, had been communicating with him through her TV broadcasts.
The court heard how King bombarded the 39-year-old with tweets, emails and letters between January 2015 and last September.
He turned up at the couple’s £10million Chelsea mansion several times – forcing her to hide in the bedroom on one occasion.
Her husband, also 39, said she had been horrified to see the stalker loitering at their front gate. The court heard that King believed it was his destiny to be with the presenter.
Mrs Lampard blocked him on Twitter in 2015 after he tweeted to her: ‘I can hear the screech of nails as I sharpen them before your crucifixion.’ The stalker – who convinced himself she wanted to marry him – then added: ‘I can see the inscription on your tombstone.’
Yesterday King, from West Hampstead in London, pleaded guilty to one count of stalking involving serious alarm or distress, which had an adverse effect on Mrs Lampard’s day-to-day activities.
But Mrs Lampard’s ordeal is not over. She will now have to appear at Isleworth Crown Court in person on Monday for a hearing to determine the full extent of the stalking. King – who has appeared in a series of low-budget student films and live cinema shows, refused to concede the tweets amounted to stalking. He also said he had not known his behaviour caused distress.
It means Mrs Lampard has to attend a ‘Newton hearing’, to help determine the severity of King’s sentence. She is expected to give evidence from behind a screen to save her from looking at King.
He faces a maximum of five years in jail.
The court heard she had changed her daily routine as a result of the pursuit. At an earlier hearing, she gave an impact statement saying: ‘I do not go out alone any more – I always go out with someone.’
Lampard, who became manager of Derby County this week, also provided a statement explaining how his wife and their housekeeper Chona Angel hid in a bedroom as the stalker waited outside the house. ‘It has both made us feel vulnerable, she became flustered and very nervous and concerned for her safety,’ he said. ‘I could see that Christine was very anxious and shaken more than I have ever seen.’ Her witness statement also said: ‘She felt anxiety on the day he arrived at her address and she felt the need to hide behind the sofa.’
Last year, she revealed King had even turned up at a hotel where the couple were guests, adding: ‘There’s a sense that he knows where you are. Frank did go out and say, “Look, you’ve got to stop, this isn’t normal behaviour”.’
Prosecutor Alisdair Smith told the court yesterday: ‘This is an allegation of a sustained period of harassment targeted against the complainant – who is a TV presenter – for two-and-a-half years.
‘It seems to be based on a predestined emotional connection and comments made by the complainant
‘Anxious and shaken’ ‘Dark and disturbing tweets’
on television. There was two months of tweeting. There were ten to 15 tweets and they are described by the complainant as “dark and disturbing”.’
John Oliver, representing King, told the court: ‘The tweets were sent two years before Mr King sent a series of letters to the home of the complainant, who feels they are strange. She feels the sending of the letters comes just before an escalation. He did visit her home which did cause distress.’
Northern Ireland-born Mrs Lampard gave a statement to police in October last year and confirmed there had been two months of disturbing tweets from King in 2015.
She married Lampard in December 2015 and is step-mother to his two daughters.
Judge Robin Johnson bailed King until Monday with the condition that he does not make any attempt to contact Mrs Lampard.
Outside court, King smiled and then referred to the forthcoming hearing with the comment: ‘It’s going to be horrendous – but you have to do it, don’t you?’