Story highlights
NEW: "Now that it's finally over, we feel safe, relieved and happy," Hilaria Baldwin says
"Her intent was clear, that she wanted closure from this relationship," lawyer says
Alec Baldwin denies he had ever had a romantic relationship with Genevieve Sabourin
Sabourin claims Baldwin promised omelets every day for life after having sex on a date
A Canadian woman who said actor Alec Baldwin promised her “omelets every morning” for the rest of her life after a sexual encounter was found guilty Thursday of stalking and harassing the “30 Rock” star.
A judge sentenced Genevieve Sabourin, 41, to 210 days in jail for the five counts, as well as for violating a protection order and for a contempt of court ruling issued after her repeated outbursts in court.
The three-day trial in a New York City court included tearful testimony from Baldwin, who denied he had a romantic relationship with Sabourin as she claimed.
The judge also issued a protection order prohibiting the stalker from contacting Baldwin and his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, in any way for five years.
“Now that it’s finally over, we feel safe, relieved and happy to move forward,” Halaria Baldwin said in a statement after the verdict. “We’re grateful to assistant district attorney Zachary Stendig, the judge and everyone who supported us and helped provide us with peace of mind.”
Sabourin is a Canadian actress who met Baldwin in 2002 during a movie production, according to testimony. He was married to actress Kim Basinger at the time, so Sabourin didn’t call the number he slipped to her, she testified.
Promises of endless breakfasts, woman says
But nearly a decade later, Baldwin took her to a Broadway play and dinner in Manhattan, she testified. The date ended the next morning, after they had sex in her hotel room and he made romantic promises, Sabourin testified.
“I make the best omelets in the world, and I’d be happy to make you omelets every morning for the rest of your life,” she quoted the actor as saying.
But Baldwin testified they were never a romantic couple and she only imagined their relationship.
“You’re lying!” Sabourin shouted at the actor in the courtroom.
Her repeated interruptions during testimony eventually drew a contempt of court ruling, which added 30 days to her sentence.
Sabourin was arrested by New York Police after an April 8, 2012, attempt to visit the actor at his Manhattan apartment building.
Hilaria Baldwin, who was then engaged to him, told the doorman that Sabourin was a stalker and that she would call police, the building doorman testified. Sabourin called Hilaria a prostitute and another derogatory term before leaving the building, the doorman said.
Seeking ‘closure,’ not stalking, she says
Sabourin cried at one point in her testimony, complaining how everyone finds their love, as companions, but that she now knows she made the wrong choice with Baldwin.
The incidents of stalking were attempts at finding “closure,” she said.
She sent him numerous e-mails and voicemails along the way. CNN obtained copies of the e-mails.
“I am less than 10 minutes away from you tonight. Say ‘I do’ to me,” one e-mail says.
In another e-mail, she said she was ready to get married.
“I need to start my new life with my new name … in my new country, help my newly husband, you!”
In another e-mail, she admits defeat.
“I may have lost all the battles to win your heart over in the past two years, but I’ve learn (sic) so much,” it says.
Wiping away tears as he testified, Baldwin said Sabourin’s stalking made him anxious and worried for his safety.
She showed up unannounced at his New York home on the day he proposed to his now-wife, the actor said.
Days later, she allegedly crashed an event the actor was hosting at New York City`s Lincoln Center.
Baldwin has admitted they had dinner once in 2010, but said that was it.
They met through a mutual friend, he said.
Both Baldwin and Sabourin worked on the 2002 flop “The Adventures of Pluto Nash.” Baldwin has also appeared in numerous other movies, including “It’s Complicated,” “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “Along Came Polly.”
His past is checkered with various conflicts, including an infamous berating of his then-young daughter Ireland in 2007 as a “rude, thoughtless little pig,” a run in with American Airlines over his playing Words with Friends on a flight, and various scuffles with paparazzi.
Unlike the actor, who didn’t say a word about the case to reporters, Sabourin basked in the media spotlight. She grinned widely as she shared her side of the story with a group of reporters.
“I’m not gonna take a reduced plea for a crime I have not committed,” she said before the verdict and sentencing.
Sabourin has been arrested several times, including late last year for violating a court order by allegedly sending a series of tweets to Baldwin and his wife.
Lawyer: She told the truth
Her lawyer, Todd Spodek, called her “a wonderful human being” when speaking to reporters after the trial.
Sabourin never intended to “harass, annoy, alarm, stalk, violate an order of protection,” Spodek said.
“Her intent was clear, that she wanted closure from this relationship,” Spodek said. “And, unfortunately, the judge didn’t follow my logic, but I stand by it, and I believe that was the case.”
He said she “absolutely” told the truth when she testified that she was romantic with Baldwin and had sex during a 2011 date.
“I think she testified truthfully, candidly, and I think the judge believed her,” Spodak said. “It’s just that even if they did have a relationship, it doesn’t mean it’s a defense to the crime.”
After she is released from jail – which her lawyer estimates will be in about five months – Sabourin plans to return to Canada “and pursue acting, and you know, the film industry and the entertainment industry there, the lawyer said.
CNN’s Jane Caffrey, Nichelle Turner and Pamela Brown contributed to this report.
