A 71-year-old stalker “fixated” with Anna Friel has been ordered by a judge not to contact the actor and keep away from the area where she lives.

Phil Appleton sent Friel messages, turned up at her home and left her unwanted gifts over a period of almost three years.

Appleton, from Berkshire, was due to stand trial and Friel had been called to give evidence, with the prosecution requesting that “special measures” be put in place to help the actor manage “fear and distress”.

Special measures can include giving evidence from behind a screen, using a video link to make the experience less daunting and allowing a witness to give better evidence. However, the trial was called off earlier this week after Appleton pleaded guilty to stalking.

Reading crown court heard on Thursday that a psychiatrist had diagnosed Appleton with bipolar disorder and erotomania, which is characterised by an individual’s delusions of another person being in love with them.