Shania Twain stalker to court: 'You're all very sick'

The man who pleaded guilty to stalking country-pop superstar Shania Twain has been denied bail and in a courtroom outburst Wednesday said "You're all very sick."

A judge in Toronto ruled that Giovanni (John) Palumbo will be held until he is sentenced. Palumbo submitted surprise guilty pleas on Sept. 30, the second day of his trial, to charges of criminal harassment and to breaching a court order.

After the bail decision, Palumbo told the court: "You're all very sick. Very sick. All of you. Have fun. I know I'm going to. You know why? I care about the creator, the true creator. All of you, I can see none of you do. You're not going to make me schizophrenic, you're not going to make me crazy. What a bunch of psychopaths."

Justice Richard Schneider said he was reluctant to deny Palumbo bail, but felt complelled to because there was no supervision plan in place. He also said Palumbo's mental health is still in question.

Defence attorney Gary Barnes argued that Palumbo be released to his last known address, the Royal York Hotel. The defence promised Palumbo would abstain from communicating directly or indirectly with Twain and not go anywhere near where she might be.

The defence also argued it would be unfair to keep Palumbo in jail for a longer period than a reasonable sentence would be for a conviction.

The Crown argued against Palumbo's release, citing the lack of a supervision plan, questions about Palumbo's mental state and the lack of a posted surety.

Twain testified she had received letters from Palumbo in 2009 in which he professed his love for her. She said that she often received such correspondence from small children, but not adult men, and grew nervous upon receipt of the letters.

Palumbo, 51, was jailed on March 27 after he was arrested at Toronto's Air Canada Centre during an appearance by Twain at the Juno Awards. He also tried to get close to Twain at her Muskoka cottage and attempted to attend her mother's funeral.

Palumbo entered guilty pleas to one count of harassment and one count of breach of his bail. The other two charges were withdrawn.