Priests fail to dispell fears.
Evil spirits give family bumps in the night.
By Graeme Smith.
A terrified family called in the Church of England to rid their home of evil spirits. Two clergymen exorcised Chris Hurst and Maria Lillico’s Tyneside council flat to bring an end to an unexplained series of strange events. They blessed the house in Blanchland Close, Battle Hill, Wallsend, prayed and sprinkled holy water in every room, but failed to help the couple and their daughter Stacey, 14 months. Chris and Maria, both unemployed, are afraid to sleep in the three-bedroomed council house which they moved into two weeks ago after exchanging their Cramlington home with David and Michelle Lewis. Since then the couple have experienced:
Pictures and ornaments moving; mysterious footsteps and a friend who was pushed down stairs by some unknown force; lights and other electrical equipment switching off and on despite recent rewiring; heavy doors banging shut and other strange bumping noises; cups spinning around on a mug tree.
The couple say the churchmen felt a strong presence in th ehouse and may repeat the exorcism to banish the spirit, which they think could be that of an old woman. Newcastle diocesan exorcist Canon Anthony Duncan said yesterday: “This is a very genuine case.” Chris, 22, said: “We’ve had neighbours and relatives in and they’ve all seen and heard the same things. We’re afraid to sleep here.” Maria, 19, who is eight months pregnant, said: “I’ve been getting really spooked and can’t stay anywhere in th ehouse on my own – it’s terrifying.”
Former tenants David and Michelle Lewis lived in the house for 10 months. David, 30, of Arcot Avenue, Cramlington, said: “That house did seem to have a bit of an atmosphere.”
Our man Smith braves the spirit. By Graeme Smith.
From the outside, No. 40 Blanchland Close looks like any other of the council flats on Battle Hill estate, Wallsend. But behind the blue front door is a family living in fear of the poltergeist which apparently shares their home. I was certainly sceptical when I knocked on that door and was invited in by Chris and Maria. As soon as we were in the sitting room, the main light flickered on and off – then didn’t work at all. Then a mobile phone in photographer Paul Norris’s bag came on for no reason as he was taking a picture of the family. And later, as it began to get dark, there were a succession of bumping noises from the upstairs bedroom where all the windows were closed.
All this can be explained of course, but more convincing for me was the steady stream of visiting neighbours and relatives who confessed to having witnessed strange occurrences in the house. That could not have been staged and even outside we met people by chance who said they had been terrified at what they had experienced at No. 40.
Afraid: Chris Hurst and Maria Lillico with baby Stacey.
Kids the first to see ghost.
Children are normally the first to experience a ghostly presence, according to an expert in the field. Cecilia Hunt, who along with partner Paul Pearson runs Whitby Ghostbusters in North Yorkshire, says that after 30 years of working in the field, she has found that children are involved in 90pc of paranormal sightings. And she claims it is because children have both a clear mind and conscience that ghosts are attracted to them as a way of finding a release into the real world.
Newcastle Journal, 4th June 1992.
Ghost bust vicar reveals ritual secret.
By Graeme Smith.
A ghost-busting vicar has revealed the secrets of the ritual of exorcism. Canon Granville Gibson performs the ceremony to banish evil spirits from people’s homes. And in a new television programme he re-enacts the exorcism he carried out for a Sunderland family plagued by a poltergeist. The victims – a young couple with three small children – contacted the Church of England after doors began opening by themselves and pictures flew off walls. But since Canon Gibson blessed and sprinkled holy water in every room, the family has not been disturbed. The vicar of St Michael’s Church in Sunderland lifts the shroud of secrecy surrounding exorcisms in a documentary called Deliverance – to be broadcast nationwide later this month.
Last night he said: “Normally we try to avoid publicity at all costs, but I hope the programme will lead to greater understanding about a subject which is often sensationalised. “I happen to believe there is such a being as Satan and evil spirits. There was evidence of evil in this family’s home and they were at the depths of despair when they came to us for help. There’s no way I would dream of having a film crew in on a real exorcism, but I was prepared to go through the ceremony if it helps show other people that there is someone they can go to.”
Canon Gibson, previously a vicar in Whitley Bay and Cramlington, carries out a small number of exorcisms every year. He performed the Sunderland ceremony with fellow city vicar Kevin Hunt, who knew the family concerned. The Rev. Hunt said: “We sensed there was something not very nice there and laid hands on the family.” The family, which has not been named, describes in the documentary how the haunting began after they conducted a Tarot card reading as a joke.
Meanwhile, a Wallsend couple have found peace after churchmen carried out a second exorcism at their council flat home. Chris Hurst and Maria Lillico, of Blanchland Close, Battle Hill, turned to their vicar last month after a series of events, including flying ornaments and mysterious noises. But since Canon Anthony Duncan repeated the ritual to rid their home of evil spirits, the couple have had no problems.
Newcastle Journal, 13th Juuly 1992.