Mel Gibson stalker jailed
A homeless man who begged Mel Gibson to pray with him was today convicted of stalking the Hollywood star.
Zack Sinclair, 34, faces up to 16 months in jail.
He represented himself during the trial in California but declined to question Gibson when he gave evidence on Thursday. He also chose not to offer a closing argument to the jury.
Gibson, a devout Catholic, told the court he had feared for his family’s safety after Sinclair moved within inches of his face in church, declaring he was there to pray with him.
The 49-year-old actor-turned-director testified for some 40 minutes, describing why he sought a restraining order that barred Sinclair from going near his family for three years.
“I found it odd someone would not have a sense of personal boundary, and whether or not they were welcome,” he said.
“My wife was upset and worried. She didn’t want to find him in the living room drinking tea.”
Sinclair, from Idaho, was arrested last September after evading security to approach the gate of Gibson’s Malibu estate.
He was escorted off the premises of a chapel after interrupting worship.
Sinclair also sent letters to the 49-year-old actor and his family in which he wrote prayers, cited biblical verse and praised Gibson’s controversial movie The Passion of the Christ.
He was re-arrested in October after allegedly violating a court order to stay away from the star and his family.
