The ghost they can’t bust.
Exclusive by Gordon Stott.
A foul-mouthed ghost took possession of three-year-old Kimberley Kewley to force her family out of their home. Little Kimberley screamed obscenities and threats at her parents as the spook controlled her. As her eyes chillingly darkened she would hurl furniture, ornaments and toys around the house.
In desperation, horrified parents Vicki and James called in one of Britain’s top ghostbusters. But when Canon Tom Willis, the Archbishop of York’s former occult adviser, failed to exorcise the malevolent spirit, he urged them to quit the evil house. So they did – moving into a £42,000 three-bedroom terrace house half-a-mile from their former haunted home.
“This ghost forced us out. He made our lives a nightmare,” said Vicki, 24, who is due to give birth to her second child this month. “By the end of our time there all three of us were sleeping in the same bed, surrounded by crucifixes. When the evil spirit started making his presence felt, family and friends didn’t believe us. Yet many friends wouldn’t even set foot in the place.”
The family’s ordeal began days after moving into the £72-a-week housing association home in Norton, North Yorks. Both Vicki and Kimberley fell ill but their symptoms baffled doctors. Fresh flowers withered in 24 hours and Kimberley’s two pet rabbits died. Pictures on the walls would be found on the floor next morning. Even when Kimberley let rip with a vile outburst – using words she’d never heard from her parents – they didn’t link it with other strange goings-on.
Then Kimberley said that a man walked through her closed bedroom door and sat on her bed at nights. Supernatural fears were confirmed when vicar John Manchester said: “There’s evil in this house.” Vicki said: “A chill ran down my spine. We had suffered bad luck and bad health since moving but never thought these could be connected. It all made sense when Mr Manchester said the house was haunted. Kimberley would scream “F*** off, this is my house.” But the vicar said the spirit was using her to tell us it was his house. He blessed us and poured holy water, saying that would put the spirit to rest.”
Unfortunately, this only got the ghost – believed to be a resident who died in the house – even angrier. Vicki said: “He became even more vindictive. He pushed me down the stairs several times. A foul smell like rotting meat appeared on the landing and nothing could get rid of it. And wallpaper which we’d fixed with strong adhesive would peel off. Living in that situation put our marriage under strain.”
The couple called in the Rev Gerald Nugent to see if he could help. He nailed up two huge crucifixes and held Mass in Kimberley’s bedroom. “But one night when my husband James was at work I woke to see a spectre,” said Vicki. “He was about 70 and 6ft tall. I couldn’t speak or scream. He then vanished and I was left shaking.”
Factory night worker James, 20, said: “A few days later we had friends round for a barbecue and heard the ghost whistling and cackling upstairs. When I went to investigate I felt this freezing wind pass me.”
In desperation, the couple called in Canon Willis, 66. But even he was unable to get rid of the unwanted presence. “I blessed the house and prayed for the soul of the spirit,” said Mr Willis. “Everything seemed to go quiet for a while but he then started making his presence felt again. It was not a house where a family should live. And I wouldn’t advise anyone to move in until we’re confident the spirit has been exorcised.”
Brian Clarke, Ryedale Housing Association manager, said: “We don’t doubt the house is haunted and it’s still empty.”
Vicki added: “The ghost won – but I now have my family back and that’s far more important. We will never go back.”
Terror: Vicki and daughter Kimberley, possessed by a ghost.
The People, 14th September 1997.