A former psychiatric patient who terrified Uma Thurman and made her fear for the safety of her two young children said today he never meant to frighten the star.

A JUDGE yesterday denied a request from broadcasters to televise the trial of sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad, saying such coverage could compromise Muhammad’s right to a fair trial.

HIGH-OCTANE fear stalked the Washington area in the US yesterday after a man was shot dead at a Fredericksburg petrol station just 30 miles from where a sniper claimed his seventh victim on Wednesday night.

The death toll from the Washington sniper rose to seven as ballistics evidence linked the killer to a man gunned down at a Virginia petrol station.

Police hunting a sniper who has terrorised the Washington area were today searching for a white van spotted leaving the scene of a seventh murder.