Young family is being driven from home by ghosts – claim
A young mother living next to a graveyard claims she is being driven from her home by ghosts. Terrified Patricia Canavan has had her home blessed by a Catholic priest in a desperate bid to rid it of the spooks. She has also placed crucifixes throughout her home which looks onto an ancient cemetery.
But still the ghosts, an old man and a young boy, have returned to haunt her and her two small children. Now she is demanding that her two-bedroom council home be exorcised. Things started going bump in the night shortly after she moved into the house in September 1992 with her son Christopher and her daughter Danielle. Among the ghostly happenings were:
Her sister Elizabeth waking in the night to find the ghost of an old man leaning over her bed; Neighbours hearing a small boy crying late at night when there was no-one in the house; Patricia feeling someone with long nails scratching at her as she slept alone in her bedroom; Taps being turned on and off in the middle of the night and returning home to find toys scattered around her son’s room after tidying them into a box before going out; Neighbours seeing lights being switched on and off in th ehouse after Patricia moved out for a fortnight and the house suddenly turning bitterly cold, even on hot summer nights.
Patricia of Kirklands Crescent, Kilsyth, Stirlingshire, said, “I’m terrified in my own home. I’m so afraid that I refuse to be left alone in my own house.” Patricia, who has lived in the area nearly all her life, said, “My little boy keeps talking about this man in his room. It’s now got to the point where he’s scared to sleep there. I’m so scared that I often stay away with the kids rather than spend the night here. It’s getting so bad that I’m close to getting up and walking away from this house.”
Yesterday, her sister Elizabeth relived the night she saw a ghost in the house. She said, “I was fast asleep when I woke up and felt someone was watching me. I sat up and there was an old man standing over me. I just jumped out of the bed and ran into the living room. When I went back into the room later it was absolutely freezing. The old man had grey hair and glasses. He was very drawn and I remember he had big eyes. He had a very blank expression.”
Two neighbours also heard a boy crying when Patricia and her family were living away with relatives. Patricia said, “Some people are saying that I’m claiming the house is haunted so that I can get moved. But they don’t have to put up with this. I was really happy in my wee house when I first moved in.”
Local priest Father Jeremy Bath of St Patrick’s, Kilsyth, said, “I can confirm I blessed the house. But it is too early yet to say if an exorcism will be carried out.”
Dundee Courier, 12th August 1994.
I want an exorcism.
A young mum living next to an old graveyard claims she is being driven from her home by a family of ghosts. Terrified Patricia Cavanan, 21, has had her home blessed by a priest. She has also placed crucifixes throughout her home to ward off the spirits. But still the ghosts, an old man and a young boy, have returned to haunt her and her children Christopher, two and 10-month-old Danielle. Now she is demanding that her council home in Kirklands Crescent, Kilsyth, Stirlingshire, be exorcised. Single mum Patricia said: “I’m terrified.” Local priest Father Jeremy Bath said, “It’s too early to say if an exorcism will be carried out.”
Daily Record, 12th August 1994.
Pat gets ready to spook her ghosts.
Exorcists moving in.
Picture: Andrew Watson.
A terrified mum is calling in ghostbusters to free her home from a pair of spooks. Patricia Cavanan, 21, has already been forced to flee her haunted house with children Christopher, two, and ten month old baby Danielle. But she plans to send the spirits packing by bringing in a team of exorcists tomorrow night.
Patricia’s problems began shortly after she moved into the council house in Kirklands Crescent, Kilsyth, next to an ancient cemetery, in 1992. The frightened mum has been haunted by sightings of an old man. Her kids have also seen the elderly apparition and a young ghost. The ghosts have not harmed the family but just stand and watch them.
Patrician placed crucifixes throughout her hom eto try and get rid of the ghosts. And she even had the house blessed by the local priest. Now she’s hoping spook expert Malcolm Robinson, founder of Tullibody-based Strange Phenomena Investigations, can succeed where others have failed. Single mum Patricia said: “I’m praying that Malcolm can end this nightmare once and for all. He heard about my trouble through one of his group and visited the house to take a look around. I’m not going near it until I know things are safe. And the kids are so terrified that even if the exorcism works I’ll still have a job convincing them to go back home. I know some people think I’m crazy. But these ghosts have me scared out of my wits.”
Malcolm will enlist the help of medium Helen Walters when he tackles Patricia’s unwelcome guests. He has dealt with hundreds of similar cases since founding SPI in 1979. And he says that after tomorrow Patricia’s haunting experience will be a thing of the past. Malcolm said: “Having visited Patricia’s house, I can understand why she’s so worried. However, I’m confident we can drive these spirits away for ever.”
Daily Record, 15th August, 1994.