Man admits stalking Meg Ryan

2002-03-17 18:30

Los Angeles - A man who claimed he was married to Meg Ryan and who broke into a Malibu house owned by another family in search of the actress pleaded no contest on Friday to trespassing, officials said.

John Hughes, 30, is due back in Los Angeles Superior Court for sentencing on March 21, when he could receive up to a maximum of one year in jail and face fines.

In January, Ryan obtained a restraining order against Hughes. He was arrested on January 6 after he entered a house in Malibu that belonged to another, unrelated, family named Ryan and told the owners he was waiting for the actress to come home, according to court papers.

He was reportedly dressed in black and had eaten food from the family's kitchen before he was discovered. He told police he broke in through a bedroom window because the actress "had forgotten to leave him the key under the doormat," according to court papers.

A search of his car revealed a magazine with Meg Ryan on the cover and $2 700 cash wrapped inside underwear.

At a civil hearing last month to extend Ryan's temporary restraining order, a psychiatrist hired by Ryan's lawyers testified that Hughes was patently delusional and posed a danger to Ryan's safety.

"His delusions are deep, they are longstanding, they involve the belief that he is married to Meg Ryan, that he will do everything in his power to continue to pursue her," David Glaser said. "I believe that Mr Hughes is a danger to Meg Ryan's safety."

Hughes was imprisoned last year for approaching President Bush's Texas ranch with several firearms in his car.

Ryan divorced fellow actor Dennis Quaid last year. They have a nine-year-old son, Jack.

- Reuters