Violinist Vanessa Mae has become the latest in a long line of celebrities to attract the unwanted advances of a deranged stalker.

Yet the high-profile Ms Mae, Jordan, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Madonna are not the only ones vulnerable to such harassment. A recent study suggested about one in eight adults are victims.

The Argus told yesterday Ms Mae was afraid her prolific stalker would strike again despite a jail sentence and a new restraining order. David Martin, 57, formerly of Western Road, Brighton, and now living in a camper van in Worthing, became obsessed with her in 1993.

He walked free this week despite receiving a six-month sentence because he had already served three months on remand.

Ms Mae, along with police officers who investigated Martin, are concerned a new restraining order will have little effect on his behaviour. They would have preferred a tougher sentence, in line with the spirit of the 1997 Protection Against Harassment Act which tightened up the law on harassment. The clampdown followed a campaign by Tracey Morgan, who had been stalked by work colleague Anthony Burstow. He followed her, copied her house keys, stole her underwear and wedding video, placed listening devices in her house and used a police scanner to avoid detection.

He was finally caught and is now serving life in prison. But even knowing their tormentor has been punished will not necessarily heal a harassment victim's deep emotional scars.

Monica Nabb, of support charity Worthing Women's Aid, said although much attention went to victims of physical domestic violence, victims of emotional bullying deserved help too.

She said: "A violent relationship with a partner can take all sorts of shapes and forms. It doesn't necessarily have to be physical to have a terrible effect. Being stalked can be classed as emotional violence.

"We deal more with people being abused by partners or ex-partners, rather than people like Vanessa Mae who have been targeted by someone they don't know. But it can be just as difficult for people to escape or get help."

Psychiatrists say there are three types of stalker.

The first is the simple obsessional, who tends to be an ex-partner who becomes resentful and jealous after the end of a relationship.

The actress Linda Bellingham, who starred in the Oxo adverts, won a restraining order last year against her former husband Nunzio Pelusco.

The second type is the love obsessional who is maladjusted and targets idols, such as John Hinckley who shot and wounded President Ronald Reagan in a twisted bid to impress Jodie Foster.

A Greek scholar who bombarded Brighton-born glamour model Jordan with explicit letters and gifts similarly saw nothing wrong with his behaviour.

Father-of-two Nigel Chapman refused to apologise last January after Hove Crown Court refused to reduce his two-year restraining order or £263 costs liability for harassing Jordan's mother Amy Price.

The third type of stalker is the erotomanic, who tends to be female and may believe they are in love with their victim.

Middle-aged mother Hilary Reeves, of Excalibur Close, Ifield, was given a conditional discharge last October after plaguing Radio 2 traffic reporter Sally Boazman with telephone calls and letters.

Scaynes Hill GP Dr Philip Hart suffered more than two years of torment at the hands of millionaire spinster Catherine Thompson after she became dangerously obsessed with him.

Neil Addison, a barrister who deals with stalking cases, said: "The number of 'hardcore' stalkers is very small and the majority of people will stay away after they've been warned by police because it is not worth the trouble.

"However, some cases are very serious and if someone persists in breaching restraining orders that is when you've got a problem and prison can be the only option."