Ananova:

An obsessed Ken Dodd fan who sent a dead rat sprayed with perfume to the comic and set fire to his house has been detained under the Mental Health Act.

Ruth Tagg, 35, followed the 71-year-old performer across the country, sitting in the front row at each of his shows.

She sent anonymous love letters to him signed "Your secret love".

She also sent abusive messages to the comedian's long-term partner and after saying she felt "insulted and rejected" by the comedian, she put burning rags through the letter box of his house in Knotty Ash, Liverpool.

Tagg, originally from Bedminster, Bristol, was finally arrested at one of his shows in the Wirral on suspicion of harassment. She appeared at Nottingham Crown Court today, where she was ordered to be detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act after pleading guilty to harassment and arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

A court heard the campaign of harassment started in January 2001 when Tagg spent hundreds of hours making a tapestry depicting Dodd and it was delivered to one of his shows. Months later, she attempted to introduce herself to the comedian at a show in Weston-Super-Mare, but he told staff she could be a stalker.

Peter Davies, prosecuting, said: "This was clearly from an obsessed fan. Both Ken Dodd and his partner were disturbed by these approaches. In October of that year events took a sinister turn.

"It is well-known where Ken Dodd and his partner live in Knotty Ash but he also owns another property nearby which was subject of an arson attack while they were away in Gravesend."

More than £11,000 worth of damage was caused to the house after burning rags were pushed through the letter box by Tagg.

Martin Picton, defending Tagg, said she had developed an interest in Ken Dodd and a love for him, but said she was now ashamed and apologetic about her actions. The court heard she suffered from a psychopathic disorder, but she was making good progress and it was hoped she could recover from her illness.

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