Lily Allen's stalker detained for mental health evaluation

A man convicted of harassing pop star Lily Allen has been sectioned by a U.K. judge.

The Smile singer hit headlines in April (16) after revealing she had been living a nightmare since 2009, when a Scottish man named Alex Gray began bombarding her with letters and posts on Twitter.com.

His apparent obsession with the mother-of-two prompted him to start sending her threats, before the trouble escalated into a full-on home invasion last year (15), when he stormed into her bedroom as she was sleeping and stole her handbag.

He was subsequently convicted of burglary and stalking causing alarm and distress, and on Friday (10Jun16), a Harrow Crown Court Judge Martyn Barklem ordered Gray to be admitted to a mental facility for a psychiatric evaluation, ruling he should be detained indefinitely under the U.K.'s Mental Health Act.

Lily previously revealed she was "practically a hermit now" after living in fear for her life for years as a result of Gray's behavior, and in a victim impact statement read out in court, the singer wrote: "The impact of Mr Gray upon me and my family (sic) has been massive. I had already been incredibly disturbed and upset by the letters Mr Gray sent and his contact via social media but the break-in at my home was absolutely terrifying."

Gray only spoke to confirm his name at sentencing, but he issued a statement of apology via his solicitor, admitting he "was aware he had significant work to do with his doctors" and "wished to assure Miss Allen that he will not be pursuing her any further".

The judge also slapped Gray with a restraining order banning all contact with the singer and forcing him to stay at least 100 meters (109 yards) away from her home, any venues she performs at, and any business addresses. He has also been barred from entering two London boroughs: Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith & Fulham, reports TheGuardian.com.

Recalling the horror of Gray's break in earlier this year (16), Lily, 31, told Britain's The Observer newspaper, "I sat up and looked and the door handle was twisting round. This guy came steaming in and I didn't know who he was. I recoiled and he ripped the duvet off, calling me a 'f**king b**ch' and yelling about where his dad is."

During the interview, Lily also took aim at authorities, criticizing how they had handled her early complaints about Gray.