Artichoke War II
Woman convicted of killing sister’s veg in court again over her book’s ‘false claims’
WHEN Gillian Leeden destroyed the artichokes in her older sister’s garden with weed killer over a bitter family feud, she ended up with a conviction for criminal damage.
But the episode failed to kill off the simmering enmity she felt towards her, a court heard yesterday.
Instead, Leeden, a 66-year- old grandmother, privately published a book entitled Behind the Artichokes which allegedly made false accusations about her sister Lyndsey Glassett and other family members.
Over 213 pages, she claimed Mrs Glassett and another sister, town councillor Deborah Lemay, stole £21,000 from their late mother, removed furniture and jewellery from her home, and abused her when she was still alive.
Mrs Glassett, 72, was also accused of inheriting money from an aunt using underhand methods, acting promiscuously and being an absentee member of the family for 20 years.
The case has come before a jury, whose members were told yesterday they would have to read the book, circulated to the alleged victims’ friends, colleagues and even a vicar, before the three-week hearing can continue. Judge Stephen Warner told them: ‘It was circulated in Hoddesdon, Broxbourne [both in Hertfordshire] and part of Norfolk. It is about 200 pages long and you will be required to read it.
‘You will be comfortably accommodated in a jury room. It is important you don’t discuss it at that stage.
‘You don’t have to rush but it has to be done. There is no alternative. It is a slightly unusual thing to do.’
A cartoon drawing of an angry woman wielding a bottle of weedkiller appears on the front cover of the 15chapter book.
The blurb on the back begins: ‘ The true story behind the artichokes and a mother’s fight to save her son’s inheritance!’
It goes on: ‘When their sister Lyndsey Leeden/Glassett suddenly declared herself homeless and moved in with their mother, Gill was initially pleased. But together with another sister, Deborah Lemay, and her husband Brian, things started to go horribly wrong and money was disappearing from her mother’s bank account fast!
‘Gill was determined to find out what was going on. It took five years to discover the depths of her sisters’ dishonesty and wickedness.’
Prosecutor Katrina Charles told St Albans Crown Court the relationship between Leeden and her sisters broke down irrevocably in 2010, a year after Mrs Glassett started living as a full-time carer with their mother, Winifred Leeden.
Mrs Leeden had divided her semi-detached house in Broxbourne into two flats Scene of the crime: Garden and lived in the downstairs flat, while the defendant lived above. Twice-divorced Leeden, a registered nurse, rented her flat for a while. But the prosecution said she began sending threatening emails, singing offensive songs and wrote a damaging blog about her sisters and brother- in- law when she returned in 2013.
Police were alerted and she received a caution.
Leeden and a fourth sister later complained to social services about their mother’s care but an investigation found no wrongdoing.
Mrs Leeden died in April where veg was killed off 2014 and the following month retired chiropodist Mrs Glassett went away for the weekend. On her return she discovered her artichokes had wilted and died. Miss Charles said: ‘ Mrs Glassett had installed CCTV and, upon viewing the footage, saw the defendant pour a liquid on the artichokes on May 23, 2014.’ She added that Leeden was convicted following a trial. Mrs Glassett later relocated to Norfolk to escape the ‘ incessant unpleasantness and false accusations’, the court heard. She changed her name, cut all links with her friends and even deleted her Facebook account. In March 2015 her mother’s estate was settled and divided among the grandchildren.
But in October that year, she received a copy of her sister’s book and learned that it had been sent ‘not only to her sister, Deborah Lemay, but to people and organisations with whom she had an association’, the court was told.
This included her neighbours, landlord, the local social club, several friends and her vicar.
Meanwhile, Mrs Lemay considered leaving the area she had lived in for 37 years following the ‘false accusations’ in the book, which also contained ‘details of her bowel movements’, the jury was told.
The prosecution claim the book contains details Leeden obtained by accessing Mrs Glassett’s emails ‘without her authority’.
The defendant, of Broxbourne, was arrested in December and made no comment during interviews.
She denies two charges under the Malicious Communications Act 1988.
The case continues.
‘Incessant unpleasantness’