I’m terrified in my own home, says Claire Foy as stalker goes free
CLAIRE Foy is afraid to leave her home and feels scared when the doorbell rings, a court heard yesterday, as a stalker she feared could kill her was spared jail.
The Crown star said she remains terrified after American Jason Penrose turned up at her home and spoke to her seven-year-old daughter through an intercom.
‘I view the world in a much more fearful way as a direct result of his actions,’ the actress, 38, said.
Penrose, 49, bombarded Ms Foy with thousands of emails, left eight switchboard messages and even sent a parcel and letter to her home after being banned from contacting her for five years.
Penrose, who is in Britain illegally, was spared jail at the Old Bailey after a judge heard that he will be repatriated to his country to live with his mother in Florida.
He was sentenced to 22 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years.
In an anguished letter to the court, Ms Foy described the impact on her of Penrose’s stalking campaign.
‘I have felt terrified and helpless in my own home. I have had to have numerous meetings with my daughter’s school, neighbours, family members and work colleagues who had all been affected by Mr Penrose’s stalking and harassment. I feel like the freedoms I enjoyed before Mr Penrose contacted me have now gone.’
Penrose first contacted Ms Foy’s agent in February 2021 pretending he was a scriptwriter with a $20million Warner Brothers deal, claiming he wanted her to star in his sci-fi film. The actress refused, telling her agent she did not know who he was.
But Penrose sent her more than 1,000 graphic emails, including one referring to rape, between February 2021 and February 2022. On December 10, 2021, Ms Foy was informed by a café owner that Penrose had been in, asking where she was, knowing she went there.
On December 17, he went to her home and repeatedly rang the doorbell. When the intercom was answered by her daughter, he said: ‘It’s Jason, I’m outside.’
If Penrose should return to the UK, he must notify the police and provide his address in the UK, his contact details and the duration of his stay, the judge ruled.
An indefinite restraining order was also granted, banning Penrose from contacting Ms Foy or going to certain boroughs in London.