Genevieve Sabourin jailed for contempt in Alec Baldwin stalking trial
The Canadian actress will serve 30 days for interrupting the actor in court
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The actress accused of stalking actor Alec Baldwin will serve 30 days in prison for repeatedly interrupting him as he testified against her in New York.
Genevieve Sabourin was held with contempt of court for shouting out as Baldwin gave evidence and yelling at his wife, “You’re going to hell. You’re lying!”.
Protesting Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Robert Mandelbaum’s decision after he had issued her with several warnings, she replied “I didn’t do anything!”.
The 30 Rock actor denies having a relationship with the Canadian, who allegedly flooded him with a barrage of unwanted messages and phone calls, as well as turning up at his homes on multiple occasions.
Breaking down in tears in court, Baldwin, 55, told how the “dangerous” Sabourin had appeared at his house the day he proposed to wife Hilaria. He described the “nightmarish” moment when he spotted her in the front row of his movie screening as “like something out of Hitchcock”.
She is charged with 24 counts of harassment and stalking and faces spending up to a year in prison if convicted of the crimes.
Sabourin’s lawyer is arguing that her relationship with Baldwin was more than “professional” after they met on set of The Adventures of Pluto Nash in 2002, citing a year-long email exchange as evidence.
The 41-year-old claims she had sex in a hotel with Baldwin after a date on Valentine’s Day in 2010 but was then snubbed by the Oscar-nominated star.
Speaking to reporters during a break in the trial, Sabourin insisted she could prove intimate relations by knowing that Baldwin has a circular scar on his upper thigh.
In one message to the star, the actress expressed her wish to conceive a “mini Baldwin”, while another read “I want to be your wife”. Baldwin claims not to have instigated correspondence with Sabourin, despite sending her a message reading “happiness is around the corner”.
He told the court he was “just trying to pacify her” in the hope she would stop contacting him.
Sabourin is also charged with stalking Hilaria after being accused of harassing her on Twitter and sending her a message predicting she would miscarry.
After being found in contempt, the actress described how the court proceedings had made her feel “totally exhausted, humiliated, beat up, destroyed, alone”.
Judge Thomas Mandelbaum said that Sabourin had engaged in a "relentless and escalating campaign of threats" that showed an "utter lack of respect" for the law.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments