But angry Matthew Hooker, 40, saying he had always behaved as a proper gentlemen, vowed to appeal the ruling and threatened to countersue Kidman for slander. „This woman has severely wronged me. There is no reason at all to have a restraining order against me. I‘ve never threatened anyone. I‘m a gentlemen,“ Hooker told reporters after a court hearing ordering him to stay at least 250 metres away from Kidman and her family.

Hooker, who claimed that Kidman „flirted with me like crazy“ when they met by chance in a bookstore in March, said he would sue the Hollywood star for „millions of dollars. She‘s made a big mistake here.“ Hooker, who runs a series of Internet dating and entertainment sites including one that says he is running for U.S. president in 2004, was accused of making repeated attempts to contact Kidman after the surprise break up of her 10-year marriage to Tom Cruise earlier this year.

Kidman‘s lawyers said Hooker had posted messages on his Web site, including a love poem, called at her house with offers to take the actress to the ballet and for ice cream, phoned her agent, her public relations manager and written offering to tutor her children. Kidman, who was not in court, said in a written statement that Hooker‘s actions had left her „fearful of our safety and security.“

Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Alan Haber told Hooker there was convincing evidence that he had harassed and „seriously annoyed“ Kidman. But Hooker, who represented himself in court, told a different story, denying stalking her and saying she had flirted with him at their first chance meeting.

Hooker, who claims a similar acquaintance with model Claudia Schiffer, said his name had been smeared and claimed he had lost business opportunities because of the publicity.

Hooker has filed a separate lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against American Airlines and Iberia Airlines claiming he was drugged by someone who stole his money on an April 2000 flight to Spain where he said he was due to spend the Easter holiday with Schiffer and her family. Schiffer‘s family called the police when Hooker showed up at her villa. Reuters