A MOTHER-OF-THREE sent to jail for illegally camping on land her family owned has penned a series of books about her experiences.

Gwen Pryke, 50, and husband Asa, 49, each served four months in prison after they lived in tents and caravans on land in Constable Country and refused to move.

The couple, who claimed they had a right to live on the land, off Brook Street, Dedham, became embroiled in a bitter legal row with Colchester Council before they were eventually jailed.

Just over a year on from serving her sentence, Mrs Pryke has written an autobiographical account of her experiences, called Field of Dreams in England.

Mrs Pryke said: “When you’re put through a difficult experience, it has a strange effect on you.

“I always thought I could have written a few chapters or pages, but nothing like this.

“I have managed to pull together a lot of strands.

There was a lot to say.

“It is not about what I think. If you read it, you will learn a lot.”

The three books took Mrs Pryke six months to write.

The first, Field of Dreams in England Part One, details the family’s experiences of living on the land and what happened to them at the hands of planning officials and the courts.

Field of Dreams Part Two tells of Mrs Pryke’s arrest and time in Holloway prison.

The third, Case Studies edition of Field of Dreams, tells of some of the women Mrs Pryke met in prison and their stories.

Mrs Pryke has self-published the books on Amazon and hopes to invest any sale profits into her future.

See Friday's Gazette