A MONKEY at the centre of a court custody battle has been taken into hiding 24 hours before he was due to be taken from his owner.

Mary Stanton, 73, of Harrison Street, Blackburn, last week lost her £3,000 legal battle against Blackburn with Darwen Council's refusal to grant her a dangerous wild animal licence.

And to save her ill-fated capuchin monkey from being sent to be cared for in Monkey World in Dorset, Mary's husband, John, 76, secretly sent the 13-year-old creature into hiding -- while Mary was still in court fighting to keep him.

John decided to snub council officials who wanted to send Joe to the animal park and said he had no other choice but to find alternative accommodation for the primate.

He said: "I promised Mary that I would never let them get their hands on Joe and I won't.

"Now at least Joe's got a beautiful home and I know he will be as well looked after there as he was here. Nobody on this earth will make me say where he is."

John said he couldn't face telling his wife where he had sent Joe for fear of upsetting her even more. Mary, who said last week she would rather have Joe put to sleep than see him sent to Monkey World, said today: "I couldn't believe it when I came back from court and Joe wasn't there.

"I thought the council had already been to collect him.

"John was crying when he told me that Joe was already half way down the M6. I'm glad he's somewhere else. I feel a lot better for that, but I just want to know where he is."

John's revelation to the Lancashire Evening Telegraph came just minutes after a phone call from his solicitor, Chris Boyle, telling him that Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council were applying for a warrant to 'seize' Joe on Wednesday.

The telephone call was followed by a hand-delivered letter, which confirmed that on receiving a warrant, council officials would be taking the monkey tomorrow.

Mrs Stanton was today facing more heartache after the death of her close friend and supporter Joyce Hartley.

Joyce, 63, from Lancaster Street, Blackburn, died after a long fight against bone cancer -- just three days after finding out that her best friend had lost the battle to keep the pet monkey they both loved.

The pair had been friends for more than 27 years and had worked together over the last six months to try and save Joe from being sent to Monkey World, in Dorset.

Mr Stanton said: "Joyce was due home in a couple of days and was going to be a witness at the court case, but she was taken ill while signing statements in the solicitor's office."