A loner bombarded a television beauty with letters, gifts and porn when he became addicted to her late-night show.

Obsessed Robert Ducker struck up a letter-writing campaign to woo Alex Kramer, the hostess of ITV's Glitterball quiz.

The Clacton man posted her a letter a day on average, as well as tins of biscuits, perfume and a necklace.

But a court heard Ducker grew angry when he got no reply from the glamorous presenter.

His missives became increasingly angry and sexually explicit, and he started sending pornographic images to her at television centres in London and Manchester.

The programme's head of legal services called in police because of the graphic content of his letters.

Jonathan Longman, prosecuting, said 50-year-old Ducker sent about 30 gifts and letters to the studios between May and June.

He said: "During a live broadcast, the victim mentioned her home town and the defendant looked up a family in the town with the same name and phoned them to try to make contact with the victim.

"It was extremely frightening for them."

Colchester magistrates were told that Glitterball was a live phone-in quiz on air between midnight and 3am or 4am.

Ducker became a fan of the show because he could not sleep following the death of his father.

Raphael Pigott, mitigating, said: "He cared for his father for 25 years and as he was walking down the street, he collapsed and died.

"These sorts of television programmes prey on the lonely and vulnerable."

Ducker, of Brixham Close, was given a restraining order not to contact Ms Kramer.

Mr Piggott said the show was axed last month, so Ducker had no way of writing to her. Magistrates ordered him to do 100 hours of unpaid work.