Gere 'stalker' thrown out of US

Richard Gere's new movie is directed by Adrian Lyne

A 51-year-old German woman has been expelled from the US for "stalking" actor Richard Gere.

Ursula Reichert-Habbishaw of Kassel, Germany, pleaded guilty to aggravated harassment in a New York court on Thursday after making hundreds of calls to the star.

Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Gregory Carro told Ms Reichert-Habbishaw to be on a flight to Germany by Thursday night to avoid a jail term.

Gere's first major role was in 1977's Looking For Mr Goodbar

She left the court in tears and collapsed outside when confronted by TV cameras.

Ms Reichert-Habbishaw has also been placed on a US Immigration and Naturalization Service watch list as a stalker - which forbids her from re-entering the United States.

And she has been warned that any violation of the terms of her conditional discharge will result in a one-year jail term.

Assistant District Attorney Robert Wallack told the court that Ms Reichert-Habbishaw had been a fan of Gere, star of films such as An Officer and a Gentleman and American Gigolo, since February 2001.

'Pistol'

A divorced mother of four children aged 16 to 22, she allegedly called or faxed Gere as many as 1,000 times and appeared at his New York office at least six times during the past 14 months.

Gere's assistant, Karen Klose, alleged that Ms Reichert-Habbishaw had frequently left messages on Gere's voice mail and fax machine, including: "I will stay with you for all time" and "I can take a pistol and kill myself".

Ms Klose said she had repeatedly told Ms Reichert-Habbishaw to stop calling.

Police finally arrested Ms Reichert-Habbishaw when she went to Gere's office on 30 April.

Richard Gere's latest film, Unfaithful, is currently riding high in the US box office charts.