SAMANTHA MORTON - MORTON'S STALKER JAILED

MORTON'S STALKER JAILED

A British man accused of stalking actress SAMANTHA MORTON has pleaded not guilty to two counts of harassment. Noel Watts, 42, was said to have imagined a "fantasy relationship" with the Minority Report star, after becoming infatuated with her when he began dating one of her friends in the 1990s. He had previously been handed a harassment order after bombarding Morton with telephone calls and text messages in 2004, and he attempted to contact the Golden Globe winner again in December (07). He was arrested in January (08) after breaking into the office of Morton's agent. Appearing in London's City of Westminster Magistrates' Court for a pre-trial hearing on Friday (01Feb08), Watts denied the charges against him and told the judge that claims of his "infatuation" have been exaggerated. He said, "It's even been suggested that I'm infatuated. The women in my life don't feel threatened by my relationship with Miss Morton." Watts - who has a previous conviction after he poured boiling water over his mother - was denied bail and has been remanded in custody until his trial on 11 March (08).