Emma Thompson’s mum gets her gargoyles back with witchcraft ruse

LONDON - ‘Harry Potter’ actress Emma Thompson’s mother Phyllida Law has revealed that when two of her prized stone gargoyles were stolen from her garden wall, she resorted to using a witchcraft ruse.

Law, 77, said that the gargoyles, which had pride of place on a wall outside her home in West Hampstead, London, had been a favourite with children, who used to stop and talk to them on their way home from school.

Following the theft in August 2007, the actress stuck up a picture of herself dressed as the “Neighbourhood Witch”, and posted a joke sign on her shrubs warning a “curse” would be put on the thief.

“Be so kind as to return the children’s stone statues - otherwise curses will occur! You have been warned!” the Daily Express quoted the sign as stating.

And now much to her surprise, the statues have reappeared after more than two years.

They were kept in a large, black rucksack outside her front door, addressed to “the householder”, with another handwritten note inside begging: “Help me please. I have been very, very ill since I stole these. Please lift the curse.”

“It is the most fantastic story. A very good black rucksack was put outside my door. It stayed there for 48 hours until I thought it’s so heavy, what can be in it? Probably bombs,” she said.

“So I gingerly opened the lid and it was the two gargoyles. ucked in the pocket was the little note.

“It was a complete jokey notice. You wouldn’t think he’d take it seriously at all.

“But his guilt was so great,” she stated.

But now the actress is very concerned about the health of the thief.

“I’m worried about the person now being very, very ill. It was a joke because of the kids, and me being a witch at Halloween,” she explained.

Law has now had a new sign printed and displayed, along with the rucksack, dry cleaned and hanging from a tree for its owner to reclaim.

It reads: “Thank you for returning the children’s statues. All curses have been lifted. Hurrah.” (ANI)