Janet Jackson wants 'stalker' banned
Singer Janet Jackson is seeking a restraining order against a man she says has been stalking her for nine years and tried once to bring a knife to a New York studio where she was rehearsing for a TV appearance.
The US pop singer said in a motion filed on Tuesday in Superior Court in Santa Monica, California, that she has become increasingly frightened of Robert Gardner, 46, of New York, since he was stopped by security guards as he tried to enter a rehearsal for NBC network’s “Saturday Night Live” in April.
“It is only a matter of time before he has the opportunity to harm me,” she wrote.
She is also seeking to restrict Gardner from contacting her family, as well as current and former employees.
A hearing on her request for a preliminary injunction was set for March 17.
Gardner could not be located for comment. Telephone numbers listed for him in Jackson’s complaint were either incorrect or no longer in service.
The singer’s lawyer, Travis Gemoets, declined to discuss the case.
Jackson said in her affidavit that Gardner had been contacting her since 1996 and has faxed her several letters.
“These faxes reference a fabricated personal history between myself and Mr Gardner, request that I meet with him and include his detailed travel plans,” she said.
Jackson also said Gardner’s attempts to contact her ”often contain disturbing sexual references”.
“I am extremely fearful that he will make another attempt to contact me physically while armed,” she wrote.
