Doll-house devotee goes to jail

A BOOKKEEPER’S love affair with elaborately decorated dolls’ houses has landed her behind bars in a sparsely furnished prison cell.

In six weeks’ time Julie Anne de Vigne will celebrate her 53rd birthday at Pollsmoor prison in Cape Town.

Freight-forwarding company owner Craig Garrow told the Sunday Times last year how his trusted bookkeeper quietly siphoned R2.3-million from his business — before going on retirement.

To his horror he discovered that she had spent more than R500 000 on dolls’ houses, which were furnished with intricate pieces including a duelling pistol case, tiny antique floral mirrors, silver-plated candle sticks, a R600 mini-grandfather clock and tiny chandelier worth R2 500.

Garrow also learnt that his former employee had spent some of the money attending an “international parrot society meeting on some island”.

De Vigne was convicted of 92 counts of fraud and sentenced to five years imprisonment by the Cape Town Regional Court. two weeks ago. She may serve as little as just under a year if she is released early due to good behaviour.

Garrow has recovered about half of the money. De Vigne sold her house and stamp collection in a bid to repay him. During sentencing, it emerged that De Vigne was forced to move to a parrot sanctuary outside Cape Town after selling her house. She earned her board by helping to look after 170 birds, three dogs, three cats, two rabbits and a pot-bellied pig.

Trustees of the parrot sanctuary gave the court a written submission saying De Vigne had interacted with the birds and animals “on a daily basis” and fed them.

“From my side there is no malice, just the desire to see justice served, so others can see that theft from your employer is not an option. She will be well behaved, I know, and end up spending only eight months there,” said Garrow.