November 8.
A medium has been called in to investigate a spirit haunting an old house in the centre of Brighouse. A series of mysterious, unexplained events have been happening at the house at 5 Church Lane, for the past 18 months. These have increased dramatically during the last two weeks and now the worried family who own the house have turned to a medium for help.
The victim of the spirit’s pranks is 25-year-old Miss Karen Mansley who lives at the house with her parents Jack and Brenda Mansley. Her married sisters Jacqueline and Patricia have also reported strange experiences when they have visited the house.
The medium has already visited the house and has warned the family that the spirit activity would heighten until he had chance to deal with the problem. The unexplained events he is investigating include: A ghostly shadow which appears in one of the rooms; Jewellery boxes opened and the contents scattered around the room; Lights and electrical equipment being switched on and off; An alarm clock going off at all hours; Pools of water appearing on items of furniture; A book on spiritualism which mysteriously vanished; Cupboard doors and drawers opening and closing; A birth certificate belonging to Karen found crumpled in the corner of a room.
Brighouse Echo, 3rd January 1986.
Things may have been tense in the family, although whether this is at all relevant is debateable:
Sisters’ row led to black eye.
A New Year’s Eve argument between two sisters led to one getting a black eye from the other’s boyfriend, Brighouse magistrates were told yesterday. Andrew Ambler (21), of Albion Street, Brighouse, a member of the Territorial Army Parachute Regiment, admitted assaulting Miss Karen Mansley causing her actual bodily harm. He was fined £100 and bound over in the sum of £100 to keep the peace for a year.
Mrs Deborah Puddephatt, prosecuting, said the trouble started when Ambler’s girl friend, Mrs Jacqueline Beevers, went into the New Tavern, Brighouse, on New Year’s Eve. She met her sister and Mr Kevin Cassidy, Miss Mansley’s fiance. After an argument Mrs Beevers left in tears and met Ambler. “He obviously got upset because of what she told him and went back in and accused Miss Mansley of insulting his girl friend by calling her a slut,” said Mrs Puddephatt. “He then pushed Mr Cassidy into a stool and swung round and hit Miss Mansley in th eface.” After another struggle with Mr Cassidy, Ambler was thrown out.
He later told police “I didn’t want to punch her. I simply wanted to stop her saying these things.” Ambler, a labourer at Iredale Bros, Brighouse, was not represented.
Halifax Evening Courier, 29th January 1986.