British family who moved to Portugal return to UK after locals 'killed their pets' and sent them death threats
15 April 2024, 08:26 | Updated: 15 April 2024, 11:03
A British family who moved to Portugal - and were featured in a Channel 4 show Our Wildest Dreams - have returned to the UK after locals allegedly killed their pets and sent them death threats.
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Lynn and Richard Appleby-Brisco from Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, moved with their two young daughters to Portugal in 2016.
However, the family's move to a small village in the Guarda district soon became nightmarish when a group of local villagers started a campaign of hate against them in a "storm of resentment".
Speaking to The Sun, the family said their dog Cu - an estrela mountain cross retriever - died after being attacked. They also said their goats were poisoned and a local admitted stealing their cat Ponyo and kitten Bubbles.
Ms Appleby-Brisco, 51, said when she confronted a villager about the deaths, she was told: "We've taken your pets and you're next."
She said: “I just couldn’t take it anymore, and it was my absolute lowest point.
“I was scared to be in the house on my own so I would hang around the biggest local town all day to feel safe.
“It was so bad that when I would go down to the farm I would carry a knife with me, and I consider myself a pacifist.”
She added she had a breakdown and tried to take her own life.
'English pigs'
Some of the harassment from locals involved being spat at, being called “English pigs” as well as rumours that Lynn was a devil-worshipping prostitute.
They decided “enough was enough” and returned to the UK in February.
Lynn and her children Emily, 12, and Yvie, 10, are currently living in a one-bed apartment while Richard, 56, is still abroad trying to sell the home and drive home all their things.
“We couldn’t make it work, no matter how hard we tried," the mum said.
“The worst part in this is that I am so happy to be back in England even though we have literally lost every penny we spent our lives working for but I am constantly afraid to let my guard down.
“You need time away from England to realise just how lucky we are."
The family have now raised around £3,700 through a GoFundMe page to help get back on their feet.
