Jailed OAP wants her dogs back (From Free Press Series)

Jailed OAP wants her dogs back

A MONMOUTH pensioner, who stole £103,000 from a building society, is taking legal action against her son to force him to hand over two golden retrievers she claims are hers.

Vilna Marsden, was released from jail in December half way through an 18 month sentence for stealing the cash from clients' accounts at the Yorkshire Building Society.

But the 62-year-old, who says her experience in jail "haunts her", is alleging her son, Andrew Perrett, 39, who lives in Gravesend, Kent, is refusing to return her two golden retrievers, called Millie and Lyric.

She said: "My life is so empty without them. I will do anything to get them back."

Ms Marsden, of Carbonne Close, claims she asked friends to take care of her dogs after she was jailed in May 2002.

She said: "I knew what was going to happen, so I had things arranged before I was sent to jail.

"I asked a friend to take care of the dogs for me, but my son had them and he is not letting me have them back. I care about those dogs so much. I have nothing left, but all I want is those dogs."

Now Mrs Marsden, who will be on licence until November, has been taking legal advice and is launching her own civil legal proceedings against her son to reclaim them.

A first preliminary hearing of the civil proceedings will take place at Gravesend County Court on October 2.

Ms Marsden was a branch supervisor with the Yorkshire Building Society in Monmouth and stole from three accounts between October 1993 and January 2001.

The court heard she was being blackmailed by a former lover who she told police had been taking £15,000 a year from her since 1994.