Jamiroquai singer says stalker caused panic attacks

Jay Kay of Jamiroquai is having to fend off a stalker. Photo / Getty Images

A millionaire pop star suffered panic attacks after he was stalked by a woman who repeatedly declared her love for him.

Jay Kay, the singer of UK pop group Jamiroquai, felt "genuine fear for his safety" after Australian-born Ilona Angel's harassment campaign, a court heard.

Angel, 51, visited the frontman's Buckinghamshire mansion numerous times between September last year and March this year.

On one occasion the infatuated fan even camped next to his home in Princes Risborough for two weeks without him knowing, Oxford Magistrates' Court heard.

The musician, who dated TV presenter Denise Van Outen from 1998 to 2001, was especially distressed because Angel knew the name of his dog and had a "calm demeanour".

She has been handed a restraining order, banning her from ever contacting the 45-year-old star again.

When she first visited the house, the singer - whose real name is Jason Kay - asked her to leave. She later returned and told him through the intercom: "I am not going to give up on you. I love you," asking: "Why are you being like this?"

District Judge Tim Pattinson heard that Angel visited Kay's home six more times, usually between 8pm and 10pm. When asked by the pop star why she kept appearing at the property, Angel said: "I think you know what this is about. Deep down you know what this is about."

In a victim-impact statement read to the court, Kay said: "I was genuinely in fear for my safety and the safety of the others in my home.

"Her visits were unpredictable and she was appearing more and more aggressive when she could not see or speak to me. I believe her erratic behaviour means she is not mentally sound and I lived in fear of what she was capable of doing next."

The court heard Kay had sleepless and restless nights following the harassment and suffered panic attacks, anxiety and depression.

After being charged, Angel complained in a police interview that the station's lights were giving off "electromagnetic waves" and she feared they would affect her nervous system. She later failed to turn up to a psychiatric assessment.

Angel, who represented herself in court, had denied harassing the Jamiroquai front man, but was found guilty in a trial last month.

Sentencing her, Pattinson said: "This was a prolonged period of harassment. You called on a number of occasions, and these calls were made late at night. There was particular concern when you knocked on the door very soon after he arrived home from the maternity hospital. He said it made him even more nervous than if you had made threats.

"He was also concerned that you somehow even knew his dog's name, and that your calm demeanour had a sinister edge to it."

Angel, of no fixed address, said she had not intended to cause any distress, but refused to explain why she had targeted the singer. She was ordered to pay £1055 costs.

Jamiroquai formed in 1992 and had hits including UK No. 1 Deeper Underground.
They have sold more than 40 million albums worldwide.

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- Daily Mail