A BLIND woman has been left shaken up after a man tried to steal her guide dog while she was walking alone with a white stick. 

Maisy McAdam, from Lychpit, had taken six-year-old Willow to a Basingstoke nature reserve when a dognapper approached her on Wednesday. 

Speaking to The Gazette, she said: “Willow was running off lead close to me when we were approached by a lone man. He started asking me friendly questions about Willow, her name, her age and I thought it was weird because he didn’t have his own dog.

“We were in quite a secluded location, there were people nearby but they wouldn’t have been able to see me through the trees.”

The University of Worcester student said she heard the man bend down and take out a dog lead. 

You can read the full story in this week’s edition of The Gazette. Also in this week's paper:

  • An independent school which costs up to £15,000 a year to attend has been issued with a notice from the Department of Education after failing regulatory requirements. 
  • The granddaughter of a resident in Marnel Lodge believes the Covid-19 vaccine lessened the symptoms of the virus for her 89-year-old grandmother, possibly saving her life. 
  • A Tadley teenager has been given ‘one last chance’ of avoiding prison after admitting to carrying a 10inch hunting knife. 
  • Residents of a high-rise apartment block in Basingstoke are facing a bill for thousands of pounds after it was revealed their homes were covered in combustible material, The Gazette can reveal.
  • An organisation to promote businesses in Basingstoke is set to be wound up next month after owners voted against its renewal. 
  • The creator of a statue of a soldier near Hook has adapted it to pay tribute to Captain Tom Moore. 
  • A man who stood his ground against parking charges at St Michael’s retail park has had the debt dropped.
  • The deputy mayor of Basingstoke has been cleared of any wrongdoing after two formal complaints were made against her last year.
  • PLUS: All the latest from Basingstoke Magistrates' Court.
  • Two pages of your letters to the editor.
  • Pictures: A selection of seasonal photographs from our Camera Club
  • The latests news from our communities.
  • An eight-page puzzle special.
  • An eight-page children's activities special.
  • Three pages of entertainment news.
  • Business news.
  • Three pages of sports news. And much more!

  

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