Actor Gibson 'feared for family'

Mr Sinclair is alleged to have broken a restraining order and evaded security guards because he wanted The Passion of the Christ director to pray with him.

Gibson said he had had uninvited guests at his home before, but Mr Sinclair gave him more cause for concern.

"He doesn't appear to know his boundaries," the star told the court.

Unusual persistence

The 49-year-old actor said that prior to his arrest in October last year, Mr Sinclair had appeared several times at the gates of Gibson's Malibu home, showing "unusual persistence".

"I found it odd someone would not have a sense of personal boundaries, and whether or not they were welcome," said the Braveheart star.

Although Gibson said Mr Sinclair did not appear to be threatening, he gave his wife Robyn cause for concern.

"She didn't want to find him sitting in the living room drinking tea," said Gibson, who sought a restraining order against Mr Sinclair last year.

However, Mr Sinclair is alleged to have approached the actor's home within 24 hours of the order being imposed.

"I think he needs some help, but he worries my wife and other people around me, my family," Gibson said in court.

The Idaho man is said to have begun writing to the actor in July 2004 after seeing Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ, about the last 12 hours in Christ's life.

Gibson's security chief, Jerry McKay, told the court the defendant had sent 12 letters to Gibson which said God had sent him to California to pray with the star.

Mr Sinclair, who is defending himself, did not cross-examine Gibson in court. He is charged with one felony count of stalking.

If found guilty, Mr Sinclair faces up to 16 months in prison and probation.

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