Stalker who left James Bond star Naomie Harris 'absolutely petrified' is freed from prison to receive treatment

Naomie Harris was left 'absolutely petrified'
Dave Benett
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An obsessed stalker of James Bond star Naomie Harris who left the actress “absolutely petrified” and fearing for her safety will be freed from prison today to receive treatment.

Ii Ovisyonairo Ii, 37, was fixated on starting a love affair with the Hollywood star and turned up on the doorstep of her north London home to “present his soul”.

Harris, 44, suffered a panic attack when she saw Ii outside and recognised him as the man who had been pursuing her, telling Wood Green crown court she feared he would “try and come inside the house and hurt her”.

Ii admitted stalking the actress and her mother, Carmen, and police discovered evidence he had previously tried to woo other famous women including a former Brazilian beauty queen.

Judge Noel Lucas QC today handed Ii a 21-month prison sentence suspended for two years, allowing him to walk free from jail today so he can be closely monitored and attend treatment sessions over the next year.

Harris with Bond co-star Daniel Craig
Dave Benett

“I have come to the conclusion this is the best way for me to protect other women from your obsessive conduct and ensure there is no reoccurrence of this type of behaviour," he said.

The judge said Ii has never had an intimate relationship with a woman and struggles to understand the fear and trepidation he causes with his behaviour.

Ii, who has spent seven and a half months in prison since his arrest, will be subjected to a night-time curfew, he will wear a GPS tag for the next year to monitor his movements, and he must not travel more than 20 miles from his new home in Dorset. He was also ordered to attend 50 hours of rehab sessions and carry out 300 hours of community service, which the judge said was “to ensure you don’t feel a sense of isolation” during his sentence.

The Evening Standard revealed earlier this week how Oscar-nominated Harris had been targeted by Ii around Valentine’s Day with a succession of sexually explicit love letters, written on red paper soaked in fragrance.

The farm labourer initially tried to get to the actress through her mother by booking Reiki sessions, before awkwardly turning the conversation to Mrs Harris’ famous daughter.

In a string of encrypted messages to Mrs Harris, Danish-born Ii revealed he had been monitoring Harris’ media appearances and wanted to meet her on November 11 last year – a date he “hoped would become their anniversary”.

“He believed there was a fated aspect to do with his path crossing with that of Naomie Harris”, said prosecutor Philip McGhee.

Ii claimed he had been “drawn to” the actress’ home address when randomly walking along the road, and started sending her letters saying he was “fond of her and she was the one”.

Ii Ovisyonairo Ii
Metropolitan Police

He signed off one with “unconditional love from your compassionate companion and romantic scorpio”, declared they “should be together” and he would “travel to London to present his soul to her”.

Harris was on the phone to a friend when Ii arrived at her home on February 29, freezing in fear when she recognised the obsessed fan over the video intercom.

“Her friend described Harris dropping her voice, whispering in a terrified tone that the man who had been stalking her was at her front door”, added Mr McGhee.

The Cambridge-educated actress - awarded an OBE in 2017 - was a child star on BBC series Simon and the Witch and has appeared in Hollywood hits including Miami Vice, Mowgli, 28 Days Later, and the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

Harris, who plays Eve Moneypenny in the Bond films and was critically acclaimed for her turn as a drug addicted mother in 2016 Oscar-winner Moonlight, said the stalking campaign left her “shocked and shaking”.

“She doesn’t feel safe when she goes out and struggles to sleep”, said Mr McGhee. “She is going to be looking over her shoulder until she knows the defendant can’t hurt her She is genuinely petrified about what he might do to her and doesn’t feel safe even when she comes home.”

Describing the moment Ii arrived at Harris’s door, the prosecutor added: “She was absolutely petrified, she says she felt out of breath and felt the blood rush from her. She genuinely felt he was going to try and come inside the house and hurt her.”

Harris has now changed the locks to her home, fitted a new security alarm, and asks taxi drivers to linger outside until she has reached her front door.

At the farm near Canterbury when he was living, Ii - a name he chose himself by deed poll - had amassed a dossier on Harris and police also discovered a collection of passports in different names and women’s clothing.

The court heard Ii has Asperger’s syndrome and suffers from an “intimacy seeking” condition, with a “very great divide between your perception of what is going on and the impact your actions had on Naomie Harris and her mother”.

In a wavering voice this morning, Ii told the court he had no background of sexual offending and did not intend to harm the actress: “I totally apologise and never meant to cause her the distress, and I’m totally remorseful.”

He admitted two stalking charges against the star and her mother.

“Stalking can be deeply distressing and have a long-term impact upon victims”, said Kate Ryle, Senior Crown Prosecutor at the CPS. “In this case the defendant manipulated a situation to get closer to a celebrity victim.”

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