A 60-year-old woman trespassing on the grounds of Michael Jackson’s Neverland ranch has been arrested after claiming that, as Jackson’s wife, she is in fact the legal owner of the property.

Security guards alerted Santa Barbara County police to the woman, named Billie Jean Jackson, after detaining her at the ranch on Monday. Bail was subsequently set at $2,500.

The pop star is under threat of losing his elaborate home, which holds a zoo and a theme park in its 2,200 acres, if he fails to pay up arrears of $25m by next Wednesday (19 Mar).