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A British family forced out of Portugal by locals who labeled them “English pigs” and spread rumors of devil worship have told how their dream life turned into a nightmare.
Lynn and Richard Appleby-Brisco moved to the Mediterranean country's Guarda area in 2016 with their two young daughters, with plans to start a more “affordable” life. I emigrated.
The family appeared on Channel 4's Our Wildest Dreams, but shortly after the show aired, life in a remote village became their worst nightmare.
Angry locals attacked the family's Estrella Mountain Cross Retriever dog, Koo, who later died at the age of four.
Appleby-Briscoe's ordeal was followed by years of intimidation from neighbors, and after moving to Portugal in 2016, Orla Dargan found her rescue dog dead in a shallow well. The trials and grisly sounds of it.
A family of four from Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, say local residents admitted stealing their cat Ponyo and kitten Bubble in January after their goat was poisoned.
Appleby Briscoe, 51, said when she questioned villagers about the mysterious death, she was told: “We took your pet, now you're next.”
She told The Sun:
“I was scared to be home alone, so I spent all day wandering around the biggest town in my hometown to make sure I was safe.
“It was so bad that I carried a knife with me when I went to the farm. I consider myself a pacifist.”
His family believes he accidentally put a target on his back after the episode aired in 2018.
Among the outrageous incidents of harassment, the family was spat at and called “British pigs” and Appleby-Brisco was accused of Satanism after planting flowers outside her home. There were also rumors that she was a prostitute.
The family flew back to the UK in February with a small suitcase containing a change of clothes and pajamas.
Appleby Briscoe and her children, Emily, 12, and Evie, 10, now live in a one-bed apartment, but their father is still selling the property in Portugal and leaving everything behind. trying to get his belongings back.
This is how a former City investment banker who has retired to the Algarve tells MailOnline about his hellish days after his “aggressive” neighbors took over his property, forced him out of his home and forced him into hiding. This is what happened after I spoke.
Ola Dargan bought her dream Portuguese holiday home in 2016 for around €600,000 and lived happily ever after for several years until her estate agent neighbor, whom she describes as a “dangerous” man, moved in next door. He lived in
The mother-of-two said she was warned about his “temper” and was subjected to years of threatening behavior, including when he allegedly tried to run her car off a road near her home.
Her beloved rescue dog was also found floating in a shallow well, severely injured and dead.
The Appleby-Brisco family has raised £3,800 through a GoFundMe page to help them recover from their failed plans to move overseas.
Appleby Briscoe wrote on the page: “We arrived in Portugal about eight years ago full of excitement to start a new and sustainable life. The filming staff of “Dreams'' followed.
“Initially, our life was great. We wanted to integrate into the local community, so we didn't interact much with foreigners, sent our daughters to school in the village, and bought a small farm on the outskirts of the village. and started learning the language better. Everything we thought was right.
“Little did we know that there was a storm of resentment against us throughout the village. We had done nothing wrong, so why should we suspect it?”
Channel 4 has been contacted for comment.
