2011年10月8日星期六

Shania Twain to testify via video link in stalking case

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The trial of an Ontario man accused of stalking Shania Twain is underway Thursday in Toronto, with the country-pop superstar expected to testify via video link.

John Palumbo, a former Ottawa physician who has been in and out of psychiatric care since the 1990s, is accused of breaching a court order in March to stay 500 metres away from Twain, one of Canada's biggest celebrities.

Palumbo, 51, was jailed on March 27 after he was arrested at Toronto's Air Canada Centre during an appearance by Twain at the Juno Awards. He was charged with criminal harassment and has been held in custody since.

The courts have noted that Palumbo has demonstrated an obsession with the recording star, sending Twain dozens of love letters and flowers over the years, and even showing up outside her grandmother's funeral and several times outside her cottage in Ontario's Muskoka region.

Twain was granted permission to testify by video rather than appear in person, after the Crown attorney made an application last month.

Palumbo's ex-wife, Christel Palumbo, told Postmedia News her ex-husband had created a "shrine" for Twain in his Ottawa home following their separation, and that she discovered 30 CDs filled with images of Twain, along with videotapes documenting Twain's various televised appearances.

The material was handed over to investigators.

The defence has argued that Palumbo has never exhibited harmful or threatening behaviour, and that his actions have been merely an expression of his adoration for the superstar.

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