Phantom menace

Apr 30 2004 By Jessica Shaughnessy, Chester Chronicle

Village is scene of ghost wars beyond the grave between good and evil spirits, claim mediums. Jessica Shaughnessy investigates.

PARANORMAL investigators claim the ghosts of paedophiles and child-killers are haunting part of the city.

A chilling tale of a corrupt priest and his sinister crony came to light at a seance held by the Supernatural Encounters Association (SEA) in Saughall.

Mediums and investigators claim the evil spirits flit between the Vernon Institute and the Greyhound pub, terrorising Saughall's ghost community.

'We were faced with dozens of spirits, many of them children,' said SEA chairman Mike McManus. 'They were all frightened of the dominant spirit Robert.

'We helped many of these spirits to cross over through the light, but Robert would not go. He was a nasty piece of work.'

The SEA claims that:

Two evil spirits are haunting the institute and the pub; one is possibly a priest, who would not talk to the group, but the other is a man who calls himself Robert and killed and abused children.

They met the spirit of a woman called Edie who was raped by Robert and gave birth to his illegitimate child before he hanged her.

They spoke to the ghost of a dance teacher called Oliver Pritchard who, along with his wife and four children, died in a fire at the Vernon Institute.