A woman who subjected her gynaecologist to a stalking campaign later described her behaviour as a "misunderstanding".

Obsessive Lisa Beevers had been under the care of consultant Dr Martin Farrugia for nine years when her conduct towards him became "inappropriate and unwelcome", a court heard.

As well as bombarding him with gifts and love letters, she tricked a hospital secretary into handing over his mobile number, sent him a message asking if he was "a free man", and used a false name to gain access to him.

The 60-year-old also ignored a police warning and later claimed her offending, which left the doctor fearing for his family's safety, had been "blown out of proportion".

Beevers, of Bowser Close, Deal, even refuted she was a stalker despite having pleaded guilty to such an offence.

But although a judge told her at her sentencing hearing that she had "failed to truly grasp" the harm she had caused to her victim, she was spared jail.

At an earlier court appearance, magistrates were told Beevers had been a regular patient of Dr Farrugia when, in November 2023 and while attending a routine appointment at Margate’s Spencer Private Hospital, she insisted the gynaecologist treated her.

She then returned to the Ramsgate Road site demanding to see him.

Staff explained he was not there and so Beevers left a card which read, “Thank you so much for your care”, signing off with a love heart and the words: “If you are a free man text me”.

She followed this up with a letter to his work expressing her love and stating she was "going to get him", the court heard.

Dr Farrugia raised the alarm with his colleagues and an alert was circulated among hospitals.

But Beevers, who also used the name Easton, was undeterred and delivered an array of gifts, including money. She then contacted the hospital to check he had received them.

"You described it as a huge misunderstanding and failed to truly grasp the harm to your victim…”

Police spoke to her about her conduct in January last year but she carried on regardless and booked an appointment via her GP with Dr Farrugia's department.

The following month, she turned up at his workplace on several occasions and with more presents.

The court heard she even concocted a bizarre story to dupe a secretary into giving her his mobile number. She claimed to be someone the consultant knew but said that she had lost his contact details after dropping her phone down a toilet.

Beevers then used this newly-acquired number to bombard Dr Farrugia with texts and calls, forcing him to put his device on silent and causing him to miss some professional communications.

He switched to working at One Ashford Hospital in Kennington Road but Beevers traced him the following June and sent a card.

Having been arrested three days later and then later charged, she retorted: “I have been a very silly woman”.

In victim personal statements read at the magistrates' court hearing, Dr Farrugia revealed he had had nightmares as a result of his patient's behaviour and was worried about her turning up at his home.

He also stated he was "unclear" whether Beevers had made up her symptoms to target him.

In mitigation, it was said on her behalf that she had found the consultant to be an "impressively professional" man and one she came to view as "a confidante rather than a professional advisor".

But her lawyer Ian Bond also confirmed that although she had become "obsessed" at a time of mental distress, she had now "moved on" in her life.

Beevers admitted stalking involving serious alarm or distress and the case was committed to the crown court for sentencing.

At that hearing on April 14, Recorder Vivian Walters said her "inappropriate" behaviour towards the doctor had been "highly unwelcome" and involved a number of ruses.

Furthermore, she told Beevers the offending was aggravated by the fact it had been committed against someone providing a public service and persisted in spite of "words of caution" and a banning notice.

Her account to the probation service preparing a report for sentencing purposes was also "concerning", added the judge, and demonstrated a lack of insight.

"You described it as a huge misunderstanding and failed to truly grasp the harm to your victim," she told Beevers, who at one point responded by shaking her head.

"You claimed you were not a stalker and everything was blown out of proportion."

But in deciding she could impose a 24-week jail term suspended for 18 months, Recorder Walters said she had taken account of her expressed remorse, lack of previous convictions, positive character references and a psychiatric report which had identified what is known as an adjustment disorder.

As part of her sentence, Beevers was ordered to undertake 20 rehabilitation activity requirements and 200 hours of unpaid work.