A 62-year-old convinced that two younger women were trying to steal her hubby from her has been given 18 months in jail for sending them menacing voodoo dolls.

Paranoid Savina Caripinteri – from the comune of Sarroch, Sardinia Region, Italy – had convinced herself that the two women were trying to steal her man from her.

So she relentlessly pursued them, even sending them voodoo dolls in a bid to frighten them into making them leave her husband alone.

One of the victims – a 39-year-old from the comune of Villa San Pietro – told the court she was sent three of the creepy dolls.

She said: “I felt threatened because I received these three voodoo dolls, one of which had no legs, another with thirty pins stuck in it, and all of them had my initials on them.”

Her other victim is a 41-year-old woman, also from Villa San Pietro.

Caripinteri is also said to have thrown condoms and a napkin with offensive messages scribbled on it into the garden of one of the women.

She denied all accusations in court, but the judge did not believe her.

In the end, Judge Gianluigi Dettori sentenced her to 18 months in prison for persecuting and stalking her victims.

It is not clear if the sentence may be appealed.

Voodoo dolls are used as a physical representation of a person, and the belief is that by manipulating the doll, one can affect the person it represents.

The dolls are usually made of natural materials such as clay, fabric, or sticks, and they are often personalised with the target’s hair, clothing, or other personal items.

The use of voodoo dolls in popular culture often portrays them as tools for causing harm or revenge, but in traditional practices, they are used for a variety of purposes, including healing, protection, and communication with the spirits.