Pop Star Fears for Life

By Caitlin O'toole

Tuesday May 26, 1998 12:00 AM EDT

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British pop star Billie Piper -- who has been described as Britain's answer to Britney Spears -- told a London court Tuesday how she feared for her life after receiving a chilling series of death threats, according to Reuters. Juliet Peters, 32, is accused of leaving threatening and abusive phone calls on the answering machine of the star's record company last August. "I didn't know whether to go out or stay in," Piper said of the calls which reportedly contain death threats. "I was convinced that these threats would be carried out." Piper, who shot to fame at the age of 15 when her debut single "Because We Want To" topped the British charts, said she burst into tears after being played a tape recording of the calls, which were said to have started after Peters complained that Piper gave her a "sly, dirty look" during the recording of a TV program. Peters has denied making the threats. A long line of celebrities have suffered at the hands of stalkers or obsessive fans. Five years ago, Robert Hoskins, a homeless drifter from Los Angeles who threatened to kill U.S. superstar Madonna, was sentenced to 10 years in jail after he threatened to slash her throat if she did not marry him.