Convicted stalker of Madonna, Halle Berry on run

London, Feb 10 (IANS) A 54-year-old man, convicted of stalking pop star Madonna in 1996 and having "very violent tendencies", has escaped from a psychiatric hospital.

He was jailed for 10 years in 1996, and after his release he was transferred to a hospital and established to be a "mentally disturbed offender", according to police.

Robert Dewey Hoskins who once scaled a wall at Madonna's Hollywood home and threatened to cut her throat, walked out of hospital last Friday, the Sun quoted a Los Angeles police spokesman as saying Friday.

He has now reportedly set his sights on Hollywood star Halle Berry, 45, who, according to reports, is planning to flee the US to France with boyfriend Olivier Martinez and daughter Nahla.

"Friends are scared for her life because Robert Hoskins wants to kill her," said a source.

Police in Los Angeles have started a manhunt for Hoskins, who they describe as "violent and psychotic".

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) statement said: "Hoskins is a very psychotic man when not taking his medication and has very violent tendencies."

Madonna testified at Hoskins' trial in 1996 that she had recurring nightmares since seeing the homeless drifter near her home in April 1995.