New York - The man convicted last month of stalking actress Uma Thurman was released Monday from jail and sentenced to three years probation.

Jack Jordan, 37, a former patient at a mental institution, will have to submit to psychiatric care as part of his probation.

He was convicted of stalking and aggravated harassment after trying to contact Thurman at her home and work, and contacting her family via phone and email. He could have been sentenced to up to a year in prison.

"It's important that you understand that your conduct is unacceptable, is criminal," said New York Criminal Court Judge Gregory Carro, who rejected a prosecution recommendation that Jordan return to jail, where he was held for four months.

Jordan said he would have stopped harassing Thurman had he known he was frightening her.

"My greatest wish is that I had known sooner that I was putting fear into the heart of a woman I cared very much for," he told the court. (dpa)