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The actor Anna Friel has said she is constantly looking over her shoulder after a man stalked her for three years, telling her she would make the “perfect wife” and turning up at her home with a ring.
Friel said Phil Appleton, 71, a former pilot and actor, had “invaded” her private life and that protecting herself and her family against him had taken up valuable time when she wanted to focus on her acting.
When Appleton was first arrested by police more than two years ago after sending explicit messages to Friel, he was warned not to approach her.
But he continued to pursue her and on Thursday a judge at Reading magistrates court made him subject to a 15-year restraining order preventing him from contacting Friel and banning him from specific areas she frequents.
In victim personal statements, Friel said: “As a woman in the acting industry where there have been lots of cases relating to stalking, it has still shocked me when this has happened to me. This case has made me feel very threatened and makes me feel like I am having to look over my shoulder all the time.”
Friel said she felt she and her teenage daughter were in danger. “I don’t want to feel like a victim in my own home and a neighbourhood I’ve lived in for years. I am very disappointed he was given a warning the first time around and it didn’t stop him.
“He has created turmoil, anxiety, the fear of the unknown. I try to keep my personal life private and he has invaded that.”
She said the case had been “incredibly time consuming at a time when I want to put my full focus in work”.
Jai Patel, prosecuting, said Friel was first approached by Appleton in 2022 when she was on a walk with her daughter in Windsor, Berkshire. He claimed to have worked on television sets with her and Friel, mistakenly thinking she knew him, gave him her email.
Friel began to receive regular emails from Appleton. “He said he loved Ms Friel and he missed her, he invited her to breakfast, lunch and dinner at his home,” Patel said. “He told friends he was going to marry Ms Friel.”
In December 2022, Appleton attempted to join a health club Friel attended and the following month referred to her as “the perfect wife”. He said he was in bed naked thinking of her and sent a selfie showing his bare torso.
She reported Appleton to the police. He was arrested and warned that his behaviour was unwanted. The court heard that Friel did not make a statement or seek a prosecution, thinking a warning would be sufficient.
In December 2023, Appleton turned up at Friel’s home wearing a dinner jacket and said he was taking her to a ball. Friel’s daughter asked Appleton to leave, which he did, but came back a year later in December 2024. He looked up at Friel’s security cameras, mouthed: “I love you” and held up a ring.
He returned the next morning and Friel called the police. Before they could get to him, he went back to Friel’s house for the third time in 48 hours. The actor heard knocking at her front door and opened it. She screamed, shut the door and called the police. He was arrested that evening.
In August, Appleton, who now lives in Essex, admitted stalking. James Bloomer KC, for Appleton, said his client’s behaviour was troubling and he felt sorry and ashamed.
As well as imposing restrictions on his movements, the judge sentenced Appleton to a 24-month community order, which included completing 10 “rehabilitation activity requirement” days.
Survivors of stalking, campaigners for women’s safety and heads of law enforcement have raised concerns over continuing failings by police in England and Wales to tackle perpetrators and protect victims.
They warn that while some forces are doing innovative work on stalking, others are not improving quickly enough, leading to a “patchwork” service and victims facing a “postcode lottery”.
Friel, 49, rose to fame as Beth Jordache in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside. She has been praised for her performance in the drama Unforgivable, which was released on the BBC in the summer.
