AN author stalked a fellow novelist after they met at a creative writing course and subjected her to 15 years of torment that has left her terrified, a court heard.

Sarah Stovell, of Hexham, a published fiction writer, became wrongly convinced she was in a relationship with award-winning author Amanda Hodgkinson and bombarded her with letters, messages and emails.

Stovell followed Ms Hodgkinson to a book reading in America, said her husband would be "got rid of", said her friends were "posh idiots" and even threatened to kill her pet chickens.

Newcastle Crown Court heard despite the "one way" correspondence, Stovell believed Ms Hodgkinson did contact her back - via "cryptic" and "coded" messages only she could understand, on her internet channels.

Mum-of-two Ms Hodgkinson, who made it clear the feelings were not reciprocated, was left "exhausted" and terrified she could be in danger.

A judge said Stovell was in an "other world reality" where she wrongly believed she was in a "fictional relationship" with Ms Hodgkinson, who she had fallen in love with and believed loved her back.

The court heard Stovell met Ms Hodgkinson in 2005 at a creative writing course and they initially got on well.

After the class finished they kept in touch and when Ms Hodgkinson moved to France with her husband and children they corresponded via email.

Prosecutor Liam O'Brien said despite the distance, the women would discuss their literary efforts, attempts to secure publishing contracts and when Stovell's marriage broke down Ms Hodgkinson invited her to come to France for a week, which she did, without incident.

The prosecutor said that the first sign that the "story would not have a happy ending" was in 2006 when Ms Hodgkinson travelled to London for a meeting with a literary agent.

Stovell, who then lived in Brighton, offered to meet and the women got together but Mr O'Brien said: "The complainant was shocked by the appearance of the defendant.

"She had cut her hair short, smelled of alcohol and her clothing looked as though it had been slept in."

Mr O'Brien added: "The complainant described her as strange, clingy, gazing at her with a strange intensity, not really making sense."

The court heard Ms Hodgkinson eventually returned to the UK from France and received bizarre emails suggesting she loved Stovell, who could "prove this".

Mr O'Brien said; "This simply wasn't the reality of the situation. Some of the evidence the defendant put forward was bizarre. For example, she suggested the fact the complainant had said her favourite television programme was a documentary about the coast and sea had relevance because of the fact the defendant lived in Brighton, by the sea."

Mr O'Brien added: "For the next five years the defendant continued to harass the complainant.

"She sent cards and letters in the post, strange messages were sent on emails and online."

In 2011 Stovell received a caution for harassment of Ms Hodgkinson, who had published her first novel.

The court heard Stovell contacted Ms Hodgkinson's publisher and asked for a copy of the book and turned up uninvited to a signing, where they had a "polite exchange".

A week after the signing, Ms Hodgkinson travelled to the United States for a book reading.

Mr O'Brien said: "She describes herself shocked and horrified to realise the defendant had followed her to San Francisco."

The court heard there was a "bit of a scene" at the signing and Mr O'Brien added: "She remembers it being very awkward and the defendant glaring at her with utter fury."

When Ms Hodgkinson got back to her hotel she saw she had received emails from Stovell, which were "threatening in nature" and demanded £3,000 to cover the costs of flights.

Mr O'Brien said: "She stated if that didn't happen she would be sorry, she would make sure the complainant's husband was got rid of and suggested she would kill the complainant's pet chickens."

The court heard between 2014 and 2016 there was a period of "tranquillity" and Stovell's emails dried up.

But they eventually started up again, with some described as "explicit", some "jovial" and some "angry".

Mr O'Brien said there were 57 pages of messages in all, which were "one-way traffic" and not responded to by Ms Hodgkinson.

They included the words "f*** off", "you have no f****** idea how to care about a person", "you are a disgrace" and "you are insane".

One suggested Stovell planned to "get in my car today to go to Suffolk to beat you up".

The court heard in May 2020, after still receiving no response to her unwanted communications, Stovell sent an email to Ms Hodgkinson's adult daughter.

In it, she said she was in a "deeply dysfunctional yet always hopeful relationship" with Ms Hodgkinson who, although would not reply to her correspondence in a conventional way, would send her "cryptic" messages on the internet.

The court heard after Stovell was arrested and questioned on suspicion of stalking, she told officers she and Ms Hodgkinson communicated in a way "only I understand".

She admitted calling Ms Hodgkinson's friends a "load of posh idiots" in one email which she said she sent after "one too many proseccos".

Stovell, 46, later admitted stalking involving fear of violence between September 2018 and May 2020 on the basis she did deliberately intend to cause fear of violence.

In a victim statement, Ms Hodgkinson said she was "stalked for over 15 years" and during that time has felt the effects "every single day".

She said she was left "exhausted" and "terrified" she could be in danger from Stovell's "ferocious" behaviour.

Mr O'Brien said: "She believes that the defendant could be capable of inflicting serious harm on her either intentionally or recklessly. She feels she will probably fear that for the rest of her life."

Sean Summerfield, defending, said Stovell's offending is linked to her mental health and troubled childhood and she was operating "under delusion".

The court heard Stovell may have been suffering an erotomanic delusional disorder.

Mr Summerfield handed in references from people who described Stovell as a "good person" who "wears her heart on her sleeve" and is "struggling to find her way when it comes to relationships".

Mr Recorder Watkin said Stovell was in an "other world reality" where she had fallen in love with Ms Hodgkinson and believed she was loved back.

The recorder said both women are successful authors.

Recorder Watkin told Stovell: "You were deluded in thinking you were in some form of relationship with the complainant Ms Hodgkinson.

"Nothing she said to you could, in any way, have reasonably led you to conclude that.

"You convinced yourself of that other world reality.

"Whatever she did was perceived as directed towards your fictional relationship with her.

"You became overwhelmed by your emotions, you failed to maintain a realistic perspective of the reality and likely real world consequences.

"It seems clear you had fallen in love with her and convinced yourself, without any foundation, she had fallen in love with you.

"She made it clear she did not reciprocate those feelings."

The recorder said Stovell's mental health problems do not substantially reduce her culpability for what she did but her behaviour meant Ms Hodgkinson had to make important changes to her lifestyle to avoid contact.

He added that Stovell has a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

Stovell was sentenced to eight months, suspended for 18 months, with a 12-month community order involving rehabilitation and mental health treatment requirement.

She was issued with a lifelong restraining order to keep her away from Ms Hodgkinson and her two daughters.