Gibson Stalker Gets Prison Sentence

Wed., Jun. 22, 2005 1:45 PM PDT by Josh Grossberg

Mel Gibson's prayer pal is going to need a pen pal.

Zack Sinclair, the Idaho drifter who claimed he was on a mission from God to heal the Passion of the Christ filmmaker and was convicted in March of one count of felony stalking, was sentenced Wednesday to a maximum of three years in California state prison.

Van Nuys Superior Court Judge John S. Fisher recommended that the 35-year-old transient be hospitalized in a secure psychiatric treatment facility separate from the general prison population, a recommendation initially put forth by the prosecution.

Additionally, the judge also gave Sinclair credit for the 388 days served. Sinclair will begin serving his term immediately.

After the hearing, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Debra Archuleta said, per City News Service, that Sinclair has "an ongoing problem that we are going to try to deal with head-on," and she hoped the forced hospitalization would help him "get back on a right path."

Fisher meted out the punishment after Sinclair underwent a court-mandated mental evaluation.

Gibson, 49, did not appear for Wednesday's sentencing and was said to be unavailable for comment. But the actor-director testified during the March trial that he and his family felt threatened after Sinclair turned up unannounced in 2004 at Gibson's Malibu home and later approached the Lethal Weapon star at his church, asking to worship with him. This, after Sinclair sent Gibson "harassing," religious-themed letters.

Even after Gibson obtained a restraining order, Sinclair showed up again two weeks later and was arrested by sheriff's deputies.

"He showed unusual persistence...This young man doesn't appear to know his boundaries," Gibson testified. "I think he needs some help."

Sinclair, who once spent time in an Idaho psychiatric facility, represented himself during the trial. He refused to cross-examine Gibson and rarely spoke during the proceedings.

When asked whether he would like to address the court before hearing his sentence Wednesday, Sinclair--dressed in a yellow and blue jail uniform and still acting as his own attorney--declined to do so. However, he did ask the judge about the possibility of parole for good behavior.