A woman who stole letters from the Cheshire home of David and Victoria Beckham has been detained indefinitely in a mental hospital.
Mold Crown Court heard how Chinyelu Mary Obue was probably carrying a knife when she called at the couple's penthouse in Cheshire in the early hours of July 1 last year.
The 38-year-old had taken a taxi from her home in Edinburgh to the village of Alderley Edge, promising the driver a friend would pay the £440 fare when they arrived.
Once there, Obue walked into the communal hallway of the exclusive apartment block and stole 13 pieces of mail addressed to both David, and Victoria Beckham.
The court heard how cab driver William Scott grew suspicious and drove to a nearby petrol station where Obue, who has suffered paranoid schizophrenia for several years, was apprehended by police.
She pleaded guilty before magistrates sitting in Macclesfield in November last year to charges of theft and obtaining services by deception. A burglary charge was dropped.
Judge Merfyn Hughes QC said: "It is clear for the last few years you have suffered from a mental illness. You present a very substantial risk of serious personal injury, not only to Mr Beckham and his family, but also to the public at large. You should not be released into the community unless and until it is safe so to do."
Tim Evans, defending, said he accepted his client needed hospital treatment and assistance.
"This is a lady whose medical difficulties cause her to act in a way society deems unacceptable. However, she does have a degree of understanding and acceptance that she has done wrong."
Obue had previously bombarded David Beckham with love letters and had been warned by police in the past after pestering the footballer with photographs.
