Actress Keira Knightley has been having problems with a stalker. Photo / Getty
An infatuated stalker with a previous conviction for flashing sent postcards with pictures of cats and meowed through the letterbox of Hollywood film star Keira Knightley.
On one occasion he had to be chased away down the street by her husband.
Musician Mark Revill, 49, pleaded guilty to stalking the 31-year-old film actress at her home.
He attended the
Pirates of the Caribbean
star's house, waited outside and used chalk to draw an arrow pointing to her door.
Today he appeared at Highbury Magistrates Court in custody charged with one count of stalking the actress between August 1 and October 22 this year.
The court heard the matters came to a head when the actress's husband, former Klaxons singer James Righton, chased Revill down the road.
Prosecutor Simma Khan said: "It is a celebrity stalking case, with a well known Hollywood actress. This defendant developed an infatuation with her.
"This was unwanted by the victim and she felt unsafe."
The prosecution said civil lawyers for Ms Knightley had approached Revill about his behaviour and asked him to stop.
The prosecutor said: "There seems to have been intervention and there has been a warning."
She said there had been an "escalation to the incident" over the period and said: "This defendant was going outside her home address.
"The first point of contact is he was using chalk, drawing on the pavement. There was an arrow pointing to her front door.
"He personally delivered hand written letters. They are personally delivered letters as there is no stamp.
"Then he had gone to her home address to make meowing sounds through the letterbox.
"This came to a head when the victim's husband gave chase down the road of this defendant to tell him off."
Referring to the drawing with chalk, Ms Knightley saw him in the street and he stayed there for an hour afterward, but "there was no direct contact".
The court heard one of the hand written notes was a post card with "three cats on it which seemed to be winking" and he posted a "USB stick containing music about cats", which was described as "bizarre behaviour".
According to the Crown Ms Knightley's mother had found similar cards and messages at the address while the actress was away.
Ms Khan told the court at a hearing last week the defendant said he "was in love with the victim".
Revill has a previous conviction for exposure relating to a hospital nurse whose home he turned up to naked in 2011.
Speaking for the defence Bharat Gupta said his client was music composer and be reason he was at the address was to promote his music.
Revill, of Hackney, East London, was remanded in custody.
The hearing continues.
The Kiwi actress was the lead in fantasy TV series Xena: Warrior Princess, for six years.