Dr. Giovanni "John" Palumbo, 50, is alleged to have sent letters and flowers to Twain's home or cottage in Switzerland several times between February and October 2009, according to court documents filed by the Crown. He also allegedly appeared near Twain's summer home in the Muskokas in August of that year.

Acting deputy Crown attorney Mark Moors said prosecutors could not compel Twain to testify because she wasn't in Ontario.

"For the matter to proceed, we required the evidence of the complainant and we were unable to compel her attendance or participation," said Moors. "Regrettably, as a result of this, there is no reasonable prospect of conviction."

Ontario Court Justice Jack Nadelle chastised Twain -whose real name is Eilleen Lange -for wasting "scarce" court time as well as police and prosecution resources. The matter had been set for a five-day trial.

"I'm sure Ms. Lange had, from her point of view, a sufficient reason or reasons that justified her taking the actions she did so late in the process," said Nadelle, who acknowledged trials do fall through occasionally.

Palumbo, neatly dressed in a black coat and dress pants with his grey hair swept back, declined comment outside court. His lawyer, Gary Barnes, wouldn't say what was in the letters his client allegedly sent, however, Barnes said there was absolutely no evidence of any threatening conduct by his client.

According to court documents, Twain had no direct contact with Palumbo. The letters and flowers were received by her employees. Private security guards were to testify about Palumbo's alleged presence near her summer residence, according to the prosecution.

Palumbo was arrested on Nov. 27, 2009, wearing a Shania Twain T-shirt and carrying a copy of her biography. He also had the business card of a florist in Timmins, Ont., where Twain grew up. Palumbo was arrested as he left court, just after an attempt to get probation conditions changed; he had been convicted in April 2009 of assaulting his ex-wife, for which he received a conditional discharge after spending 43 days in jail.

He spent several months at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre following his arrest for allegedly criminally harassing Twain. He was later released on bail.

According to a psychiatric report filed as part of his divorce case, Palumbo is alleged to have sent eight handwritten letters to Twain. The letters were opened by Twain's assistant and then sent to her business manager. They "declare Palumbo's love for her and ask her to meet him," according to the report.

Palumbo also allegedly went to the business of Twain's brother-inlaw, asking him to deliver flowers to the singer. Palumbo had allegedly sent Twain flowers on Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and her birthday.

In August 2009, personal security notified Twain and she became concerned for her safety while in Ontario and hired extra guards. Palumbo's GMC Suburan SUV was seen on the road to Twain's cottage. There were also reports he attended her grandmother's funeral on Aug. 10, according to the psychiatric report.

Shania Twain's Doctor Doom?

Today 9:36 AM PDT by Josh Grossberg

If there's a doctor in the house—better warn Shania Twain!

At least that's what security at Sunday's Juno Awards in Toronto was thinking after a 50-year-old physician accused of stalking the music star turned up in the crowd to catch a glimpse of the singer before she was about to be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

So what's the prognosis here?

How about a date with a judge.

Per the Toronto Sun, police ended up taking Dr. Giovannie Palumbo into custody after one of Twain's bodyguards spotted him among the throng of fans who had gathered outside the Air Canada Centre to greet the five-time Grammy winner.

That was a major no-no for this Shania devotee, who already had an injunction in place barring him from coming within 500 yards of the 45-year-old entertainer.

Palumbo appeared in court Monday and was ordered for a second time to stay away. When Justice of the Peace John Jackson told him to "make no contact" with Twain, the Sun reported that the doctor, looking bewildered, laughed and said: "You are all doing a wonderful job, your honor. I am in jail. How can I contact anybody? I am in jail."

Palumbo wound up on authorities' radar after bombarding Twain with love letters, sending flowers to her cottage in Switzerland, showing up uninvited at her Canadian home and even attending her grandmother's funeral.

Lucky for Twain, the two have never met. But Palumbo's never been prosecuted under Canada's stalking laws because the Come On Over crooner has been reluctant to testify in open court. Her fears are understandable.

Citing psychiatric records obtained from a divorce case, The Sun noted that Palumbo had been treated for bipolar disorder, obsession and narcissistic traits in the past and stayed in a mental healthy facility for several months last year.

The doc, who's also due to stand trial on charges of threatening his ex-wife, was first arrested for criminally harassing the artist in 2009. He was later released on bail.

A rep for Twain was unavailable for comment. Shania, by the way, tied the knot on Jan. 1 with Swiss business exec Frédéric Thiébaud.

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b233419_shania_twains_doctor_doom.html

Doctor obsessed with Shania arrested at Juno Awards
Man had tried to convince reporter to help him meet singer in Toronto
By Andrew Seymour, Ottawa Citizen March 30, 2011
 
Less than a week before an Ottawa doctor was arrested at the Juno Awards for violating conditions that he stay away from Shania Twain, he asked a Citizen reporter to try to broker a meeting with the Canadian country music superstar.

Dr. Giovanni "John" Palumbo had two weeks earlier had charges he criminally harassed Twain by sending her love notes and flowers withdrawn after Twain declined to appear in court to testify against him. Palumbo, 50, said he hoped to sit down with Twain and a reporter because he was skeptical that Twain even knew about the court case. He believed her handlers were the ones who wanted him prosecuted.

Palumbo also felt Twain was being unfairly criticized for failing to show up in court by a judge. Palumbo thought a reporter could expose the "truth." The judge in the case had chided Twain -who lives in Switzerland -for wasting "scarce" court resources by not attending on March 7, the day the case was supposed to head to trial.

Palumbo was arrested Sunday night at the Juno Awards just before 10 p.m. after someone -reportedly one of Twain's entourage -recognized him in the crowd at Toronto's Air Canada Centre.

"It was somebody who was aware he shouldn't be close to someone," Toronto police Const. Isabelle Cotton said, noting a police report on the incident did not specify who saw him or who he was supposed to stay away from.

Court documents indicate Palumbo was under release conditions not to go within 500 yards of Twain, who was being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the awards show. He was also banned from travelling to Toronto unless he was attending the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons.

He is facing three charges of breaching bail conditions.

Palumbo also faces charges of threatening his ex-wife and breaches of probation. That trial started on March 15, but isn't set to resume until May. He was still under conditions to stay away from Twain as part of his release on those charges, leading to the alleged breach.

During his meeting with the Citizen, Palumbo remained guarded about his interest in Twain. He insisted that those questions could be answered in the face-to-face meeting with her present.

He also said Twain would be welcome to bring whatever security personnel she felt necessary to the meeting, which had to be organized before the Juno Awards, when she would be back in Canada and possibly available for a meeting. However, Palumbo said he wasn't planning to write her any more love letters.

Palumbo, who appeared in Toronto court Monday, was ordered by a justice of the peace to have no contact with Twain.

He will remain in jail until at least Friday, when a bail hearing is scheduled.

Palumbo was alleged to have sent letters and flowers to Twain's home or cottage in Switzerland several times between February and October 2009, according to court documents. He also allegedly appeared near Twain's summer home in Muskoka in August of that year.

According to court documents, Twain had no direct contact with Palumbo. The letters and flowers were received by her employees. Private security guards were to testify about Palumbo's alleged presence near her summer residence, according to the prosecution.

Palumbo was arrested on Nov. 27, 2009, wearing a Shania Twain T-shirt and carrying a copy of her biography.

He also had the business card of a florist in Timmins, Ont., where Twain grew up. Palumbo was arrested as he left court, just after an attempt to get probation conditions changed; he had been convicted in April 2009 of assaulting his ex-wife, for which he received a conditional discharge after spending 43 days in jail. That probation order doesn't expire until Thursday.

Ottawa Citizen

This world is full of nut cases, shame that Shania had to be subjected to this kind of behaviour.

Shania 'Twainiac' appears in court

By SAM PAZZANO, Courts Bureau
April 8, 2011 11:26am

An Ottawa heart surgeon who has been ordered to stay away from country music legend Shania Twain appeared briefly in court Friday.

Dr. John Palumbo, 50, was remanded in custody until Tuesday, when he will be seeking his freedom.

Palumbo, who had been diagnosed as bipolar and was treated for that condition, obsession and other narcississtic traits for several months last year, has been in custody since he was spotted at the Juno awards in Toronto. Twain was bestowed in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the ceremony.

Palumbo was arrested as he was violating a previous court order prohibiting him from approaching Twain. He has been held in custody since.

Four weeks ago, his charges of allegedly stalking Twain were withdrawn from an Ottawa court after the Crown said it couldn’t convince the singer to come to court to testify.

It was alleged that Palumbo had been spotted near Twain’s Muskoka cottage, had been to her hometown of Timmins to attend her grandmother’s funeral and had approached family members to pass along flowers and had sent some letters to her home in Switzerland.

It was previously reported that Palumbo spoke of wanting to meet Twain to pursue a “romantic relationship.”

http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2011/04/08/17921901.html

Still no bail for Ottawa doctor charged as Shania Twain stalker

Brendan Kennedy
April 15, 2011

An Ottawa doctor accused of stalking Shania Twain will remain in jail through the weekend after his lawyer did not appear in court Friday for a bail hearing.

Dr. Giovanni “John” Palumbo has been in a Toronto jail since his arrest at the Juno Awards almost three weeks ago.

In a brief appearance at Old City Hall bail court – his seventh since his arrest –Palumbo said little as Justice John Jackson reminded him that he is to have no contact with Twain or any members of her family.

“Understood,” said the bespectacled and wiry grey-haired man, who wore a black wool coat.

Palumbo was arrested for breaching a court order after showing up at the Air Canada Centre for the music awards ceremony, which Twain attended. He was wearing a Shania Twain T-shirt and clutching her book at the time of his arrest.

He is charged with criminal harassment.

Palumbo is no ordinary fan. Documents filed in his divorce proceedings state he has written the country-singing superstar eight love letters, showed up at her grandmother's funeral since he and Twain “are going to be family one day,” and mapped out the similarities he and Twain share, including the fact that they both went through separations in 2008. He has also mailed flowers and showed up near her cottage.

During a 2010 psychiatric assessment where he was deemed fit to stand trial on criminal harassment charges, he told doctors Twain's reaction to his advances “remains to be seen.”

He said the letters were not intended to be frightening, and reasoned Twain's male staff protected her because they “may have some jealousy issues.”

The charges were withdrawn this winter when Twain failed to appear in an Ottawa court.

In the lead up to the trial that never happened, Palumbo was diagnosed with having either delusional disorder or bipolar disorder, according to court records.

The doctor who assessed him wrote he had “periodic psychotic breaks over the years along with much longer periods of relatively good function” and his obsession with Twain is of “delusional intensity.”

Palumbo married his wife in 1992 and had three children. He was employed as a surgical assistant at the Montfort Hospital in Ottawa. He made enough money to owe $500,000 in back taxes to Revenue Canada.

But since the early 90s, the court record shows that Palumbo has spent time in hospital with mental illness. After he was terminated from his residency at a London hospital, he battled depression. In 1992, he was restless and withdrawn. In 2006, he couldn't sleep for seven days and started banging his head on the floor when the Nyquil didn't help. In 2009, he was charged with assaulting his ex-wife. He pleaded guilty, and The Ottawa Citizen reported that he later received a conditional discharge. He was not allowed to see his children.

Palumbo remains a member in good standing with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, although the regulatory body is monitoring the court proceeding and will “take action if warranted,” said spokeswoman Kathryn Clarke.

According to the college, Palumbo had his licence suspended on Aug. 5, 2009. It was reinstated on July 16, 2010.

The college would not reveal the reason for the suspension.

When asked about his reported mental health issues, Clarke said the college has “processes at our disposal” to investigate whether a doctor is “incapacitated” to practice medicine.

With files from Katie Daubs and Curtis Rush

http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/article/975369--still-no-bail-for-ottawa-doctor-charged-as-shania-twain-stalker

Accused Twain stalker gets bail hearing

TORONTO — Alleged Shania Twain stalker, Dr. Giovanni "John" Palumbo, finally had his bail hearing Wednesday afternoon at Old City Hall.

His Ottawa lawyer, Gary Barnes, and Crown attorney John Flaherty will deliver their closing statements Thursday morning to Justice Sheila Ray.

Palumbo, 51, an Ottawa surgeon who was still practising until his latest arrest, remains under a court order barring him from communicating with "the immediate family" of Shania Twain.

Palumbo was arrested March 27 at the Juno Awards at the Air Canada Centre for allegedly violating court conditions ordering him to stay away from the famous singer.

A publication ban, which was imposed at an earlier proceeding, is in effect.

-- Sam Pazzano, QMI Agency

http://www.timminspress.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3090232

Dr. John Palumbo, 51, was smitten with country superstar Shania Twain, though an assessing psychiatrist preferred the term "erotomanic ideation."

So, after Palumbo and Twain split up from their significant others at about the same time in May 2008, he began sending her letters and flowers, according to a 2010 mental health assessment.

The mental health assessment was contained in a file for Palumbo's divorce proceedings. It had been prepared for proceedings in a criminal matter.

The letters, eight of them, professed his love. The flowers were timed for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and her birthday.

Twain's reaction "remains to be seen," he told Dr. Helen Ward, according to the report.

Her staff had, in fact, beefed up security, "but they are male and may have some jealousy issues," Palumbo said.

He was cleared of criminally harassing Twain earlier this year when the singer didn't show up to court.

It wasn't the first time Palumbo's mental health had faltered.

The Italian-born doctor got his bachelor's degree in science from the University of Ottawa before attending medical school at the University of Toronto. But after a London, Ont., residency he returned to Ottawa in 1991 and was admitted to hospital as a patient.

Depressed and suicidal, he reacted poorly to anti-depressants but was discharged within three days, improved.

He was back in hospital in the summer of 1992, a few months before he got married, according to the report.

Family were surprised to find him speaking to his father, who had succumbed to lung cancer in 1980. Palumbo refused medication but again improved and was discharged three days later.

Palumbo remains in a Toronto jail, charged with violating court conditions when he allegedly went to the Juno Awards, which Twain was attending.

He is also to appear in Ottawa court on May 17, where he is accused of threatening his ex-wife with death in February 2010 and two breaches of probation.

http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/T/Twain_Shania/2011/05/05/18110036.html

Shania-obsessed Ottawa docor acquitted of threatening wife

By Andrew Seymour, The Ottawa Citizen
May 17, 2011 7:02 PM

OTTAWA — An Ottawa doctor accused of stalking Shania Twain at the Juno Awards was acquitted Tuesday of threatening to kill his ex-wife and two counts of breaching his probation. Dr. Giovanni “John” Palumbo, 51, called his own home and left a threatening voice mail in February 2010 while he was being treated at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre.

Doctor’s obsession with Shania Twain harkens back to farmer who stalked Anne Murray

Curtis Rush | Police Reporter
7/7/11

Dr. John Palumbo is still in jail and still madly in love. Or is he just mad?

The Ottawa physician’s continued obsession with Canadian singing star Shania Twain has eerie similarities to the case of Robert Charles Kieling, the Saskatchewan wheat farmer who stalked another Canadian icon, Anne Murray, in the 1980s.

Even after courts ordered him to stay away from Murray, there was no cooling of Kieling’s ardour. He ended up dying a broken man in 2002, at age 66, and his family is still shamed by his obsession.

Reached at his Saskatchewan farm, Kieling’s identical twin brother, Fred, 75, says he has no words of advice for Palumbo, who still faces charges of criminal harassment and breaching probation for coming to see Twain in Toronto this past March.

Kieling never got over the obsession with Murray, his brother said, and was diagnosed with erotomania, a delusion in which a person believes a stranger or celebrity is in love with them.

As with Palumbo, Kieling rejected medical intervention.

Fred tried without success to reason with him. “You would think you would have influence on your twin brother,” he says. “If you are obsessed, I don’t know if there is a solution.”

As with Palumbo, there were several expressions of love — from love letters to attempted visits. Fred Kieling remembers his brother even sent Murray an engagement ring in the mail.

“You fool,” he told him. “How do you know she even got it?”

Apart from this, Fred says his brother was intelligent with an acumen for repairing engines. After high school, he took correspondence courses from the University of Saskatchewan in psychology, English, French and German.

Before turning to farming, he worked for the province’s hydroelectric utility. One day, he risked his life by climbing a pole to try and rescue an electrocuted worker.

Kieling showed up at the home of Murray’s mother in Springhill, N.S., while Palumbo showed up at the funeral of Twain’s grandmother in Timmins.

Neither Kieling nor Palumbo was found to have meant any harm to his celebrity interest. However, their persistence scared both singers.

All told, Kieling spent about five years in jail and was never the same after that. He developed a series of health problems, his brother says.

He died in ignominy, shunned by his family. He was cremated without a service.

His brother doesn’t even know where the ashes are.

“He might have had private regrets towards the end when he saw that it (the obsession) ultimately all was a loss,” Fred recalls. “He ruined his life and harmed ours.”

As for Palumbo, he sits in a Toronto jail also shunned by his family. When he was first locked up in March, other prisoners quizzed him immediately.

“What are you in for?” they asked. Palumbo turned away. “What are you in for?” they pressed on.

Finally, Palumbo relented and told them. They broke up in laughter.

He doesn’t like jail, the legal system or his predicament, he said in a telephone conversation.

“I’m no ordinary Joe. I’m a physician,” he declared.

Yet, he wants to meet Twain so he can hear for himself that she does not love him. He said he only hears this from her handlers.

Told that she has remarried, Palumbo is undeterred, noting Twain married the ex-husband of a woman who broke up her marriage.

“This doesn’t seem logical,” he said.

“I hope her husband does the right thing and bows out gracefully.”

Toronto Star

Shania Twain does not have to appear at doctor’s trial

By Curtis Rush
August 22, 2011

A judge ruled in favour Monday of the crown’s application to have music superstar Shania Twain appear by video link at the upcoming trial of alleged stalker Dr. John Palumbo, denying the defence bid to have her appear in person at a trial set for Sept. 29, 30 and Oct. 18 in Toronto.

Gary Barnes, an Ottawa lawyer representing Palumbo, refused to comment, telling a reporter as he strode off: “I don’t comment on a judge’s decision when I’m going to trial.”

Barnes said it’s not known yet which day Twain will give her video testimony.

Palumbo, 51, a general practitioner, did not react either as he was led out of court in handcuffs.

Justice Richard Schneider said he didn’t find that having the celebrity testify by video would be “contrary to the principle of fundamental justice,” although he allowed that it is “less desirable” than having her appear in person.

Earlier, the lawyer for Palumbo rejected arguments for the application, saying that the singer should not be afforded special status.

“She should be here,” the lawyer told the court.

Palumbo, who once made a six-figure salary and drove a Lamborghini as an Ottawa doctor, has been in jail since March 27 after he was arrested outside the Air Canada Centre, where Twain was appearing at the Juno Awards.

Palumbo was charged with criminal harassment and violating court orders to stay away from the singer. Palumbo has sent the entertainer flowers and love letters and was spotted outside her Muskoka cottage several times in 2009. He was also suspected of attending her grandmother’s funeral last August in Timmins.

Palumbo, who has a history of mental health issues, has said he is in love with Twain and wants to express his love to her in person. He has complained that her handlers are preventing Twain from telling Palumbo how she feels about him.

In court Monday, Palumbo was asked how he pleads: “Not guilty,” said the bespectacled Palumbo, dressed all in black with grey hair falling in strands down his neck.

In this case, Barnes said, he can find no case law suggesting a “superstar” doesn’t have to testify in person.

“What is so special about this individual?” Barnes said, countering the argument that the entertainer doesn’t want to be victimized again. If victimization were the issue, the lawyer asked the judge, why aren’t all other such cases done on video?

“Why is this necessary? It’s not used very often,” Barnes said. “Why don’t we use this (video links) all the time?”

The court heard the entertainer would bear the brunt of significant expenses, including flight and expenses for her security team, if she were compelled to testify in person. She has several residences, but her home base is Switzerland.

Barnes again dismissed that argument, “Why not get on a plane? She travels herself all the time. I’m coming all the way from Ottawa.”

The lawyer for Palumbo wondered aloud if there is a fear of all the publicity outside the courtroom. However, he countered that Twain is a worldwide entertainer and always courts attention and publicity, so why should this be any different?

Barnes suggested to the judge that Twain may know less than she should about this case. He argued she is too “insulated” by her handlers to know all the facts of the case.

Barnes said that a week before the last trial in 2011 involving harassment charges against Palumbo, in Ottawa, Twain told the court she would not attend and received a public scolding from the judge for wasting “scarce” court time as well as police and prosecution time. The charges against Palumbo were withdrawn.

Barnes suggested that Twain didn’t learn about the trial because her handlers didn’t tell her.

Her withdrawal then prompted Barnes to ask the court if this time it will different. “Is she going to show up?”

Taking the stand Monday, the detective in charge of the case against Palumbo, officer Mark Daniels of 52 Division, said he has been in regular telephone contact with Frederic Thiebaud, the husband of Twain, but never had a discussion with Twain herself. He said in his telephone discussions with her husband, it was clear to him that Twain was always present.

Palumbo’s lawyer argued that Twain’s presence is needed in court “to see her demeanour” in cross-examination. With a video link, Barnes argued, “you do not have human interaction.” A trial judge needs to see that, he added.

The crown told the court that while Twain said she is available on all three dates proposed for the trial, she will be out of the country.

John Flaherty, who was making the application for the crown to have Twain appear, said arrangements have been made at an undisclosed location outside the country to have Twain appear on a large 50-inch HD screen from a secure room to protect the integrity of her testimony.

While no technical glitches are expected, the lawyer for Palumbo argued that video links aren’t fullproof.

“In my 35 years of practice, always something ends up going wrong,” he told the judge.

Palumbo, dressed in black overcoat, trousers and blue running shoes, watched the proceedings quietly.

Toronto Star

Ottawa woman says ex-husband's Shania obsession victimized her too

By Tony Lofaro, Postmedia News
September 28, 2011 7:01 PM

OTTAWA — Christel Palumbo never considered herself a perfect woman — just a diligent homemaker, a loving mother and a good wife.

But in the eyes of her husband, Dr. Giovanni "John" Palumbo, that wasn't enough: She should have been more like Shania Twain, the international star that Palumbo adored. He insisted that his wife cut her hair like Twain, be slim like the pop superstar and dress as she did.

Meanwhile, Palumbo, an Ottawa surgeon, pursued the singer.

Over the years, he visited Twain's cottage in Ontario's Muskoka region; he wrote her dozens of love letters and sent her flowers; and even created a Shania "shrine" in his Ottawa home. His pursuit of Twain became so obsessive that he was ordered by the courts to stay at least 500 metres away from the singer.

In March, Palumbo allegedly breached that order when he was spotted at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto during the Juno Awards, where Twain was receiving a special award.

Palumbo was charged with criminal harassment and has remained in custody ever since. His trial — Palumbo has pleaded not guilty — is scheduled to begin Thursday in Toronto. The singer is expected to testify via video link.

But Christel Palumbo said Twain isn't the only victim in this strange story. Her now ex-husband's obsession contributed to their marriage ending and destroyed her well-being.

"He even called me his own personal Shania Twain, which was very hurtful."

"What am I? I felt like I was dirt on the ground," she said in telling her story for the first time. She hopes to inspire other women to leave abusive relationships.

After 16 years of marriage, Christel was granted a divorce in July 2010. She now has custody of their children: Eva, Mario, Amelia and Leonardo who range in age from 12 to 18.

John Palumbo was, she said, a controlling, jealous husband who would fly into a rage if he suspected her of infidelity.

In November 2007, he was charged with assault and uttering death threats against Christel. He was convicted in April 2009 on both charges, receiving a conditional discharge, including two years' probation and a weapons ban for 10 years, according to court records.

Christel said he never acknowledged his mental-health issues and did not take medication for his mood swings. Palumbo, she said, was admitted to hospital four times with mental-health problems and according to records entered in court, was diagnosed as bipolar. The health records show he also suffered from "narcissistic personality" traits and "delusional intensity."

Christel said she repeatedly tried to leave her husband, but was always coaxed back. Finally, in May 2008, she fled to a shelter with her children. She's tried to rebuild her life since. She's currently studying nursing at university while working full-time in an Ottawa Hospital lab.

Christel said her husband's obsession with Twain began in 2003 when the country superstar hosted the Juno Awards at Scotiabank Place.

"He would put her music on when we were together just to make me upset, because I knew he had a crush on her. I tried reasoning with him but he would laugh it off, saying it was nothing."

She realized the full extent of that obsession after obtaining a court order to sell their home in December 2009. She returned to the home for the first time after 18 months and was shocked when she found a shrine to Shania Twain.

"In the living room, there was a piano with a music book on how to play her songs. He didn't play the piano, so that was odd. In the buffet where we had our wedding photo, he had put a picture of Shania. I found about 30 CDs with different photos of her.

"In the kitchen, papers were everywhere with little notes, saying when she was going to be on TV. He videotaped everything that she was appearing on. In our bedroom he had pictures of her, and in the closet were Shania Twain T-shirts. My children's bedrooms had big piles of magazines with Shania pictures, any magazine that had a picture of her he would cut out. There were pictures he had taken of her cottage.

"In his office, I found his briefcase with love letters he had written to her. There were about 100 of them."

All the material was turned over to police, she said. Palumbo was arrested for allegedly stalking Twain on Nov. 27, 2009. He was wearing a Shania Twain T-shirt and carrying her biography.

BEGIN OPTIONAL END

At the March 2011 trial, the charges against Palumbo were dropped because Twain refused to appear in court.

At another trial in May, Palumbo was acquitted of threatening to kill his ex-wife and two counts of breaching probation after a judge found there was no evidence that he intended for his wife to hear some messages left on his home answering machine. The messages, she said, were frightening and warned her to "watch her back" because he was going to come after her and the children.

As for his alleged harassment of Twain, his lawyer Gary Barnes said Palumbo didn't pose a threat at the Junos because she was surrounded by more than 10,000 people at the Air Canada Centre.

"He's never actually done anything that's a threat. Everything he's ever done is an expression of love," said Barnes.

Accused in Shania Twain stalker case tells court he will plead guilty

Shania Twain tells court Ottawa doctor's letters made her uncomfortable

By Nick Patch - The Canadian Press
Published Thursday, Sep. 29, 2011 12:21PM EDT

The trial of a man accused of stalking Canadian country star Shania Twain got off to a dramatic start Thursday when the accused interrupted testimony and declared in an outburst that he would plead guilty.

Appearing via video link in a Toronto courtroom, Twain testified that the former Ottawa doctor's lovelorn letters and unexpected visits at her family cottage made her feel uncomfortable.

“They were uncomfortable letters, they were very personal,” Twain told court.

“They were more like love letters, not so much fan mail.”

After reading from a series of letters allegedly sent by Palumbo — in which he declared his love for the Timmins, Ont., country singer again and again — Twain was asked how a specific passage made her feel.

“It makes me feel uncomfortable and it makes me also feel a little bit sad and just a bit awkward,” she said.

Twain testified that she had to hire 24-hour security for an extended-family gathering at her cottage in Dwight, Ont., in 2009 because Palumbo was seen repeatedly parked in his Lamborghini down the road.

And she also alleged that Palumbo visited her brother-in-law's auto shop with a supposed car issue because he wanted to be closer to her.

“The manipulation scared me a bit,” said Twain.

“I was disturbed by that.”

After roughly 90 minutes of Twain's testimony, Palumbo — clad in a rumpled black suit and wire-frame glasses — abruptly stood and announced that he'd had enough.

“Eilleen, you can trust me, I'm going to plead guilty,” he said, using Twain's real first name.

“I've been offended too much, your honour.”

The trial is scheduled to last three days.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/music/shania-twain-tells-court-ottawa-doctors-letters-made-her-uncomfortable/article2184698/

Twain feared stalker who sent 'disturbing' love letters, singer testifies

By Linda Nguyen, Postmedia News
September 29, 2011 7:25 PM

TORONTO — An Ottawa doctor accused of stalking Shania Twain for the past three years by repeatedly trying to meet her in person and sending her countless love letters, made the country singer fearful to return to Canada, an Ontario Court of Justice was told Thursday.

"I don't consider him a fan," the Timmins, Ont.-born singer told the court via video link from an undisclosed location in Europe. "I consider him a man who is pursuing me inappropriately."

Dr. Giovanni "John" Palumbo, 51, faces charges of criminal harassment, violating court orders and breaching bail conditions following his arrest last March at Toronto's Air Canada Centre where Twain was being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame during the Juno Awards.

The surgeon had been ordered to not go within 500 metres of Twain and was prohibited from travelling to Toronto, unless he was requested to be there by the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons.

During the first day of his criminal trial, Twain testified she became "afraid" of Palumbo after she started receiving "disturbing love letters" from him at her Switzerland home in the spring of 2009.

Dressed in a V-neck, white sweater, with her hair in a ponytail, the 46-year-old singer seemed relaxed at the beginning of her testimony but became increasingly concerned as she recalled specific letters Palumbo had written her.

Twain said the letters often were addressed to her by her given name, "Eilleen Regina," and were "different than fan mail" she usually received because Palumbo did not understand "the reality" that the two would never have a romantic relationship.

 "(The letters) make me uncomfortable and a little bit sad, awkward," she told Justice Richard Schneid.

During the testimony, Palumbo's neat printing and handwriting in the letters were displayed on a projector for the court to see. In them, he repeatedly asked Twain, who is married, to go on dates with him.

 "'I was totally amazed by you since I first noticed you 15 years ago,'" read Twain from a letter dated February 2009. "I love you more than anyone in the universe . . . . I love you.'"

Twain said she was particularly concerned when one of the letters talked about them getting together "a.s.a.p. so we can get to know each other."

In another, Palumbo quoted lyrics from one of her songs, said Twain.

"'If you really want to touch her — ask. So I'm asking and I will wait,'" she read from a June 2009 letter.

The letters often talked about the two being "perfect for each other" and teased Twain about "playing hard to get."

She became so alarmed that summer that she hired 24-hour security when she vacationed at her Dwight, Ont., cottage after finding Palumbo parked outside in a Lamborghini and another time boating back and forth on the adjacent lake.

She said Palumbo once went to her brother-in-law's auto shop near the cottage and pretended he needed to get his car fixed to try to find out more information about her whereabouts.

EMD OPTIONAL TRIM 

Twain admitted that she temporarily felt "empathy" toward Palumbo, who also wrote to her about his divorce and suicidal thoughts but then became "disturbed" when she realized he was "speaking to me like a lover . . . someone I didn't even know."

That summer, she also did not attend her grandmother's funeral in Timmins because she was afraid he was going to be there. She later found out he was. Twain also said she would have skipped the Junos, too, if she had known he was going to ignore his restraining order and be in the crowd.

 "I believed at that moment I was vulnerable and there was nothing that could stop him," she said.

Palumbo had been arrested in November 2009 on similar charges related to Twain but those were withdrawn when she declined to appear in court to testify against him.

"I sort of froze when I was told I had to get more involved," she recalled. "I was trying to get away, not more involved . . . He was very much at the forefront of my thinking."

Palumbo, who has a history with mental issues, has maintained that Twain is unaware of his case and that it's her handlers who want him prosecuted.

Thursday was the first time he has ever heard Twain's response to his gestures of love.

At one point during the testimony, Palumbo addressed Twain in an unexpected outburst in the courtroom.

"Eilleen," he shouted from the prisoner box, addressing her by her real first name, "you can trust me. I am going to plead guilty. I've been offended too much, your honour."

Following the outburst, Palumbo's lawyer, Gary Barnes, quickly asked for a recess until after lunch.

Once the trial resumed the Crown was asked whether there were concerns about Palumbo's fitness to stand trial.

The defence said no, leaving the guilty plea to stand.

The trial has been scheduled to continue for two more days.

Ottawa Citizen

Shania Twain's alleged stalker to be cross-examined

Matthew Coutts, ctvtoronto.ca
Date: Friday Sep. 30, 2011 9:06 AM ET

Former doctor accused of stalking Shania Twain decides to plead guilty

By Nick Patch - The Canadian Press
Published Friday, Sep. 30, 2011 4:18PM EDT

TORONTO - A man accused of stalking Shania Twain has abruptly pleaded guilty to two charges.

After a morning of testimony from Twain, the lawyer for Giovanni (John) Palumbo told court that his client would be changing his plea.

Palumbo was charged with failure to comply with a court order and criminal harassment by watching and besetting.

Court heard Twain say that while she has compassion for Palumbo she remains concerned for her safety.

"I'm torn emotionally because I have compassion for anybody who's reaching out in need — fans often do that," Twain said.

"I feel very sad ... and awkward having to go through these very personal matters with Mr. Palumbo because it's such an invasion of his privacy."

During Twain's cross-examination, defence lawyer Gary Barnes argued that Palumbo — who allegedly sent Twain a series of letters, made unwanted visits to her family cottage and even attended her grandmother's funeral before being arrested at the Juno Awards this year — simply didn't realize that Twain wasn't interested.

"A lot of this is a misunderstanding between two people," Barnes said. "They got the wrong impressions of each other."

But Twain didn't see it that way, even if she did try to empathize with Palumbo.

"No, I would not agree with that," replied Twain, appearing via video link from an undisclosed location in Europe. Twain said nothing she heard at the trial made her feel differently about Palumbo.

"I still have the fear and anxiety of being contacted in the future by Mr. Palumbo. And I do want it to stop. And as far as I know, this is the only way to go about that."

For the second day in a row, the process seemed to become too much for Palumbo.

Twain was recounting the contents of numerous letters allegedly sent to her by Palumbo when the former doctor — clad in a rumpled black suit and navy slip-on sneakers — leapt to his feet and addressed the court loudly.

"But I didn't know you received any of them — you understand?" yelled Palumbo, alluding to why he persisted in corresponding with Twain even though she hadn't reciprocated his interest.

"It is very emotional for everybody," Palumbo said, addressing the judge.

"Please understand I have emotions, very strong emotions."

Amid his outburst, he muttered that the letters were intended to be "light-hearted." But Twain had disagreed with that assessment in her testimony.

"It was scary and haunting," she said of one correspondence.

"It's a little bit of an emotional rollercoaster reading these mails," she added later. "It's very exhausting and unusual."

On Thursday, Palumbo had a similar outburst declaring: "Eilleen, you can trust me, I'm going to plead guilty." Twain's real first name is Eilleen.

Earlier Friday, the defence quizzed Twain on why the Timmins, Ont., native didn't get in touch with Palumbo to let him know his advances weren't welcome.

"I choose to respond to very special cases ... otherwise, I'd never write songs or make records or do anything else," Twain said.

"Most of my contact is with charities, sick children, crisis situations ... people coming back from war.... I would not consider Mr. Palumbo a special case where I would address it directly."

Palumbo himself was more animated during the second day of the trial. He shuffled around in his seat, turned to grin at a throng of reporters several times, and jumped up to confer with his lawyer repeatedly.

Twain, too, was feisty during her testimony. She disagreed with many of the statements made by the defence and confidently reasserted her feelings on the intent behind Palumbo's words. As the morning session was winding down, Barnes addressed Palumbo's feelings for the singer.

"He's in love, Ms. Twain. He keeps trying. Would you agree that you're an expert on love?"

"No," Twain responded quickly, with a laugh. "I do not claim to be an expert on love."

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/former-doctor-accused-stalking-shania-twain-another-outburst-154737237.html

The accused man's letters to Shania Twain

Published Friday, Sep. 30, 2011 3:53PM EDT

Parts of two letters sent to singer Shania Twain by Giovanni (John) Palumbo.

CLICK LINK BELOW.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/music/letters-to-shania-twain/article2186728/

Shania sure has weird reactions when it comes to men doing her wrong. She feels bad for Mutt and now she feels compassion and sympathy, even going as far as saying that the trial is an invasion of the stalkers privacy.......WTF?

She sure has a victim/abused outlook when it comes to men.