When Ms Britton went home, she checked the name of the booking which said that it was “Jim Haviland”, matching the name on the card and flowers which had been sent to her address.
She called the police on Sept 15 but by the time they got to the cottage, they found it had been vacated early.
The police found that a stall had been placed under a Velux window which gave a “personal view of Ms Britton’s garden”.
Ms Richardson said that on three separate occasions, Haviland had travelled to Cornwall and stayed in Ms Britton’s village.
It was heard that evidence taken from his phone showed he had screenshotted a tweet that Ms Britton had made “and also, a photo of Ms Britton with someone but the someone else was cut or cropped out of the photograph,” the prosecutor added.
Victim impact statement
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Ms Britton said: “It’s worrying, I would like him to stop before he does more.
“There is a point when I know this is inappropriate and I’m asking myself what is his endgame here.
“Last night for example I didn’t sleep well, I have been worrying about it and I’m considering my personal safety.”
Ms Britton said she moved to Cornwall to “get away from this level of recognition and intrusion” and instead wanted to live by herself “writing and enjoying life”.
Haviland stalked Ms Britton over a two-year period between Nov 20 2021 and Sept 16 2023.
Representing the stalker, Ed Stott told the court that Haviland “understands how it looks” and how he understands that it appears “very sinister”.
The court heard Haviland worked until 2017 before he retired and found himself “in the vicinity” of her address in November 2021 and crossed paths with Ms Britton there – which he said was a “coincidence”.
“Then, shortly after that, he had a celebrity crush – he acted on that in what he describes as an escapist type of way and sent her flowers shortly afterwards,” Mr Stott continued.
He told the court that Haviland is married to a psychiatric nurse and is also a keen photographer who was working towards a Royal Photographic Society accreditation.
“He wants these matters over and done with and has done everything he can to expedite things,” he added.
Haviland was handed a 10-year restraining order, banning him from contacting Ms Britton, photographing her or visiting Cornwall.
‘Prolonged campaign’
Sentencing him, District Judge Apted described his behaviour as a “prolonged campaign” of stalking.
“That campaign took the form of sending unwanted flowers and cards to Ms Britton’s home address, finding out where she lived, staying in the same village and making bookings for stays in her holiday cottage.
“You have clearly been able to identify her holiday home and while you were in it you chose to use one of the rooms that overlooked Ms Britton’s private home.”
Haviland, who appeared in court wearing a suit with a striped tie, previously pleaded guilty to stalking without fear, alarm or distress.
In 2020, the Celebrity Big Brother star moved 270 miles from her home in Buckinghamshire to the southwest coast of England after she split with her TV chef husband, Phil Vickery.
The presenter said it had helped her heal after they split following 20 years of marriage and her parents passing away.
Ms Britton has appeared in two series of Channel 5 show My Cornwall with Fern Britton.