Madonna `stalker` must stay away

Robert Linhart was arrested last month for scrawling messages outside Madge's New York home.

He was brandishing signs that read 'Meet Me Please' and 'Tell me, yes or no.'

The 59-year-old former fireman was charged with criminal mischief, graffiti and possession of a homemade seven-and-a-half inch icepick.

He was released on bail for $20,000 USD. He denied resisting arrest and weapons possession, and he will not be tried for creating graffiti.

His lawyer said his messages were not threatening and simply showed he was a fan of the singer.

One of his messages read: 'M, the universe brought us together in 1992 and again this year in Prague. Meet me please.'

At the time of his arrest, his lawyer Cheryl Bader defended his actions, saying: 'There was no threatening conduct. My understanding is it's not a crime to adore Madonna. If it were, the court would be a lot more crowded.'

The New York fire department said Linhart, who lives in upstate New York, retired from his job in 1998.

'A condition of his release will be that he not be within 10 city blocks of [Madonna's address] on Central Park West,' Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Laura Ward said.