A student who hoped to adopt Germaine Greer as her "spiritual mother figure" sent her distressing letters, then invaded her Essex home and held her prisoner for two hours, a court heard yesterday.
Karen Burke, 19, took a camping holiday in the fields near the feminist author's country house before turning up unannounced on her doorstep in April, which eventually led to the occupation of Ms Greer's house.
Burke, a student of Italian, German and European studies at Bath University, pleaded guilty yesterday at Harlow magistrates court to harassing Ms Greer between January and April 25 by sending her distressing letters and holding her against her will.
Magistrates imposed a two year probation order.
Burke was ordered to undergo treatment from psychiatrist Richard Turner. She was also ordered not to contact Ms Greer nor to go within five miles of her home.
The court heard that Ms Greer's ordeal was preceded by a series of letters from Burke which "did not make a great deal of sense".
Ms Greer encountered Burke at her home on April 24. Dinah Walters, prosecuting, said: "She gathered from conversation she had with Karen Burke, that Karen Burke was infatuated with her and wished to adopt her as some form of spiritual mother figure."
She allowed Burke to spend the night in her summerhouse then took her to a railway station. Burke returned soon after midnight and rang the doorbell of the writer's home in Saffron Walden.
Ms Greer called police who warned the student she could be arrested for harassment. But at 6.30pm the following day she arrived at the house again as Ms Greer was leaving.
The writer screamed and tried to get back indoors, but Burke jumped on her back, shouting: "Mummy, mummy, don't do that."
The pair struggled back inside the house and in the ensuing fracas both women sustained injuries and the phone was ripped out of the wall.
Dinner guests arrived at the house and found Burke holding Ms Greer by the legs.
Magistrates decided against making an order for costs or compensation because the student had no income.
In a statement to police, Burke said: "I don't know what got into me. I just wanted to get all this stuff out of my head. It is an emotional thing. I wanted to hug her."
