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Man charged with stalking Paltrow testifies in own defense

FILE - In this Oct. 29, 2015 file photo, Gwyneth Paltrow arrives at the amfAR Inspiration Gala in Los Angeles. Dante Soiu, an Ohio man charged with stalking Paltrow by sending her dozens of messages and unsolicited gifts between 2009 and 2015, testified in his own defense about the correspondence at his trial in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File) FILE - In this Oct. 29, 2015 file photo, Gwyneth Paltrow arrives at the amfAR Inspiration Gala in Los Angeles. Dante Soiu, an Ohio man charged with stalking Paltrow by sending her dozens of messages and unsolicited gifts between 2009 and 2015, testified in his own defense about the correspondence at his trial in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

By Associated Press February 10, 2016 1 min read

LOS ANGELES (AP) – An Ohio man charged with stalking Gwyneth Paltrow says he didn’t realize the dozens of messages he sent to the actress were causing her fear.

Dante Soiu (Soy-YOU) took the witness stand Wednesday and said he thought he had an agreement with Paltrow’s lawyer to send her correspondence. Soiu says he believed the lawyer would tell him if he wanted him to stop.

The 66-year-old is charged with felony stalking over dozens of messages he sent in recent years. A prosecutor says Soiu sent Paltrow 66 messages and packages between 2009 and 2015.

Paltrow testified Monday she was afraid of Soiu, who sent the actress pornographic messages and sex toys in 1999 and 2000.

Soiu testified Wednesday that he had a pornography addiction at the time, but he became a born-again Christian around 2008.