Sunday, June 28, 2009

Net Curtains Drifts Away with the Breeze

Lone Stranger's latest post (Sunday, June 28, 2009 12:41 AM) was a bit of a surprise and a tad bittersweet:
No more comments will be uploaded after this point. This Blog is moving to its permanent home and this blog deleted.

Stay tuned for the new url.
Through its short duration (the first post was published on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 6:54 PM), it inspired a lot of debate with VRS sock puppet, "Demonologist", playing host to yet another online manifestation of the Highgate Vampire Feud.

With each installment, something new is always revealed.

But, no need to despair!

The blog has shifted to a new location. It bills itself as:
A Hilarious Look at the 30 Year Feud Between Paranormal Authors David Farrant and Sean Manchester Over The Highgate Vampire

Thursday, June 25, 2009

That Damn Cat!

Looks like I've been drawing fire over at The Cat's Miaow. It bills itself as "Pithy observations on the world's longest running feud from the world's deadlist cat!"

It's written by a frequent commenter on David's blog, The Human Touch, who goes by the name of "John Baldry's Cat".

The blog entry that covers my good self is "Cousin Hoggy's Final Triumph" in which I am satirised as being incredibly pedantic in a ruthless pursuit for truth from ol' Dave. Probably as revenge for daring to question Dave on inconsistencies within his testimony.

It even looks like a mock-up of my "interview" with the aforementioned old pasty.

Do you think it's a good likeness?

On the plus side, his blog did enable me to pinch his "Recent Comments" widget. Heh heh.

Be Wary of Buying VRS-Related Material from eBay

Lone Stranger rides high again with "Is Bishop Manchester Trafficking with Satanists?".

It tells the tale of an anonymous purchaser who bought a copy of Sean Manchester's The Vampire Hunter's Handbook (1997) on eBay. The buyer noted that the seller was also flogging occult and witchcraft-related materials.

Now here's the twist in the tale:
When my book arrived, though, I was taken aback when I saw the return address was Gothic Press - shipped from Bishop Manchester's home in Bournemouth! Is the Bishop aware of this? If so, how can he deride David Farrant so for having connections with the occult? This seller is auctioning off complete Satanic altars!
You might remember that the Bishop was given a letter of laicisation by Rev. Illtyd Thomas, for not disclosing his previous involvement in the occult.

The VRS have also launched their counter-claims against him, too, but that's another story.


Anyway, back to this eBay thing.

I must confess that I received an e-mail (Sunday, 1 March 2009 9:56:01 AM) from a buyer with a tale extremely similar to the one recounted by Mr. Stranger's informant.

They (I'm going to keep their identity private) had purchased a first edition copy of The Highgate Vampire (1985). Much to their surprise, the book was shipped from, yep, Manchester's address.

And funnily enough, the seller was the same bloody person recounted in Mr. Stranger's story!

Not only that, but I also ended up receiving photos of the package (which I won't repost here, because of the address shown on them), as proof.

The buyer also offered me a word of caution (Tuesday, 3 March 2009 11:57:26 AM):
Beware of Amazon UK, too. Sean sells under several names there, sometimes underselling the prices on his own website!
But, let's get back to the purpose of this blog entry. Why would I advise people to be wary?

This is why.

The VRS and its affiliates have a history of harassment and distribution of personal information if one is critical of them or their illustrious leader, Sean Manchester. Can you imagine what would happen if they got their hands on your home address?

Just be cautious.

Don's Report Disappears!

The last I spoke of it, Don's revised report was accessible through a different site.

Well, it's gone...again. And this time, Sean Manchester direct involvement in its removal was much more discernible. Lone Stranger gives it coverage in "Crybaby Sean Tries to Silence Don Ecker Report", which includes a reproduction of Manchester's complaint.

Mr. Stranger also notes:
Well Sean, I'm flummoxed. Your sock puppet the Demonologist [one of TFO's usernames. -ed.] said you never read the blogosphere as you are far to busy with important things, yet here you are emailing in person. You traffic with Satanists, yet see yourself as the holiest of holies. You lift other's images, use them and claim fair use, but infringe upon the rights of others to use your images even when it's within their legal rights. Sean, you are the biggest hypocrite in the western world.

Strange Goings-On at Facebook

Lone Stranger has written a rather interesting blog entry called "Sean Edits THV Cover for Facebook Page!".

For some obscure reason, the cover of the first edition of The Highgate Vampire (1985), posted on the VRS Facebook page, has been given the Photoshop touch.

An image of the vampire has been conspicuously blurred, which prompted Mr. Stranger to say:
What's wrong Sean? Are you afraid the noobs on Facebook will recognize you and realize you are a fake?
This statement refers to certain claims that Sean Manchester painted himself up as a vampire for the purpose of taking pictures to accompany his book.

Of course, it's not the only picture on the page that has been given a strange tampering. Have a look at the big black smudges that surround David Farrant in this picture.

Psychic energy waves...or a big black texta? You decide.

Mr. Stranger also noted something else interesting about the VRS Facebook page:
Hey and look at the organizers of the new VRS; there's Sean; our good buddy and sock puppet Arminus; and an actual real person from Bristol.
I previously noted that "Arminius" (a copy-n-paste plagiarist of TFO calibre) was also one of its admins.

But of particular interest, is that a new admin has been added to the VRS Facebook page ("an actual real person from Bristol").

His name is David Carter-Green, which keeps in the tradition of hyphenated surnames like the VRS's National Secretary, Katrina Garforth-Bles.

I've never even heard his name mentioned in association with the VRS before, or the Highgate Vampire Case, so his arrival on the scene is certainly a surprise. Especially his out-of-nowhere appointment as an admin on the VRS Facebook page.

Who knows what winning contributions he'll supply to this whole Affair?

Monday, June 22, 2009

Now We're Getting Somewhere!

This is a follow-up to "Slouching Toward Disclosure".

Here is "Demonologist"'s response concerning his affiliation to the VRS (despite previously only referring to himself as a "personal acquaintance" of Manchester:
I have never denied that I am a member of the Vampire Research Society.

How we decide to print material is our decision, not the decision of some disgruntled youth in Australia who is having a hissy fit.
Never denied it? Never disclosed it, either.

Until now.

So, this is indeed a first.


The reference to "printing" material, concerns his practice of copy-n-pasting huge tracts of VRS text - without attribution - and posting them on public media. A similar practice is carried out by another shady VRS member.

Now, all we need is a name for this mysterious individual, and we could really get somewhere!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Slouching Toward Disclosure

Demonologist has been getting awfully close to disclosing his identity.

In a recent comment to Lone Stranger's "Feud Watch!" blog entry, he writes:
If, as the Aussie "Overseer" says, my "blogs consist of copy-n-pasted VRS material" that could possibly be because I am a VRS member and have consent to use such material.
Yet, as I pointed out in my response:
If you do indeed have consent to regurgitate such material...why is this not disclosed anywhere in your blogs?

And, more importantly, what is the point of you regurgitating such things...if it's already on the bloody web? Why not just link to it? Provide commentary...something that would justify your blog's existence apart from being part of a VRS propaganda drive.
The response to that should be interesting.

And quite possibly evasive.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Don's Report Returns!

I previously gave Don's report coverage here.

Thanks to Lone Stranger's recent blog entry, "Don Ecker Speaks!", I've also found out it's been revised and uploaded elsewhere.

Warning: contains traces of satire!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Is Manchester Aware of What's Being Written About Him?

In a comment to Lone Stranger's "The Great Vampire Hunter and His Kit", "Demonologist" wrote:
I cannot imagine Seán Manchester wasting his time reading blogs about himself. He might have something brought to his attention by someone to clear up a question or because of unlawful activity involving his identity or his property, but he would not be aware of much else. I somehow doubt he would bother to actually view such blogs.
Well, there's a simple way to verify that.

If we skip over to Manchester's Blogger profile, then we're able to see which blogs he "follows".

Amidst several Catholic blogs, we have:
The last two blogs are also significant because...they are "written" by none-other than, yep, Demonologist, himself.

And, lastly, let's not forget who was responsible for the removal of Don's report from Scribd.

In Defence of Blinking

"Demonologist" recently posted a response in Net Curtains Lurkers' "Crazed Sean on YouTube" post concerning my "What's in a Blink?" blog entry.

Indeed, his response made it almost seem as if...he was there!: defence
He was facing strong sunlight when interviewed which might make anyone blink rapidly when dazzled by the sun for a duration, but, due to his eye condition, Keith Maclean frequently blinks rapidly whether he is listening, speaking or viewing.
Uncanny.

When he was asked this by "American Psycho":
Ok, Mr. "Demonologist", one might equally ask if you are also an aquaintance of Keith McLean's, if you are so familiar with his eye-blinking habit..?
He said:
I happen to be acquainted with Keith Maclean, not that it is any business of yours, sufficient to be aware of his impairment.
It's amazing how many "acquaintances" this man has! Including, of course, Sean Manchester:
I am personally acquainted with Bishop Seán Manchester and have been for some considerable time.
However, one must regard it as a bit strange that a mere "acquaintance" would also be given the task of "writing" the VRS's copy-n-paste blog. (See his profile).

And it's no mere unofficial fan site. After all, the VRS includes it as a link on their "Highgate Vampire Domain" page.

Oh, and Sean Manchester, himself, happens to be one of its followers...

Sunday, June 14, 2009

David's Proverbial Monkey

As I've previously noted, David is particularly keen in shrugging off any association between him and vampires.

Well, except for some rather obvious slips.

So how come he just. can't. bloody. stop. talking. about it? ("What Really Went On?!"):
Night so often blends into daytime with me, and then, before I know it, its evening again and I’ve missed a large part of the day. (And ‘no’, as I said before, I not a bloody vampire. Sorry to disappoint the pudding, no doubt! and dissipate more of the fiction).
Must...continue...("Stupid 'Vampire' Stories"):
Anyway, back to the interview briefly.
Really, much of it was about stupid vampire myths and people who claimed to have staked them. I just repeated that I did not believe any of the silly nonsense; especially when most of these were the result of fictional stories or the result of deliberate hoaxes.
Wait, you're saying it was a hoax...again?:
I was not saying anything new. I stated in the English press as far back in 1987 that the so-called Highgate ‘vampire’ was one such hoax: not the actual ghost itself seen by so many people but the ‘vampire’ version of it.
So for 22 years, you've been telling people that the Highgate Vampire Case was a hoax?

Hmm, funny that you don't refer to what you said - and did - in the early 1970s, eh? Heh heh.

Anyway, it's good to see this proud debunking tradition being kept alive, despite, oh, say, previous utterances like this:
I have said it before, and I’ll say it again: This Blog is not intended to be about ridiculous fanciful ‘vampires’; although I have said it is OK to discuss ‘ghost cases’ here and the paranormal here if anybody wants to. But NOT talk about bloody stupid vampires or their so-called ‘creators’!
Looks like you've painted yourself into a corner. Or a nice earner!

Denial Ain't Just a River in Highgate

It's nice to see David taking note of my comment-presence on Net Curtains Lurkers:
[...]I see my old friend the Overseer is on there trying to unravel the Highgate ‘vampire’ mystery (at least, what he sees as a ‘mystery’) and the parts various people played in the saga.
No problems so far...
The only ‘mystery’ – if any – is exactly what this apparition was, or is. But the “Overseer” seems to think that this might be a ‘real-life vampire’, or more precisely, he is trying to follow up claims made by others that this might have been the case.
Wait-what? When did I say that it might be a "real-life vampire"?
Well, sorry ‘Overseer’, you’ll have to rule me out of this one, because I never said the ghost reported at HC was a vampire. In fact I was very careful to avoid using that term when talking to the TV or Press. I have never accepted the existence of ‘blood-sucking vampires’ and it was not myself who went on the television twice then advising people how to ‘stake’ them! That was another person. Sorry!
Hmm, that's odd, because I could swear that you did think it was a vampire and refer to it as one.

After all, you might remember that when I asked this
You claim the press connected you to the vampire story due to the court case. So why, as early as March, 1970 were you entertaining the vampire hypothesis as a possibility?
You responded with:
I put many ‘possibilities’ to the Press at this early stage: not lease [sic] that Highgate Cemetery was being used by a group of professional Satanists. I was asked abot [sic] the ‘vampire theory’ – I did not volunteer it.
And let's keep in mind, that what you said to the Press was this ("Why do the foxes die?", Hampstead and Highgate Express, March 13, 1970):
The odd thing is there was no outward sign of how they [dead foxes found in the Cemetery -ed.] died. Much remains unexplained, but what I have recently learnt all points to the vampire theory being the most likely answer. Should this be so, I for one am prepared to pursue it, taking whatever means might be necessary so that we can all rest.
And don't forget, that when I asked
Why is it that after the court case, you allowed yourself to be filmed in a television news article reconstructing your patrols for the vampire with a stake and cross? You also did the same thing for an article with Barrie Simmons. If you say the press labeled you with a "vampire hunter" tag, then why did you give demonstrations of stalking vampires in Highgate Cemetery to other members of the press?
Your response was:
Why not? It was what the Press and television wanted.
And then, of course, while you were promoting your Highgate Vampire Society to the Press in 2005, you said this:
The Highgate vampire has had the effect of completely overshadowing all my other investigations.
It also made you come to this gripping conclusion in the same article:
The sighting of a tall, black figure in April on Swains Lane makes me think the vampire is active again.
Looks like you need to be more cautious, Dave!

Dennisologist?

Some time ago, I wrote a blog entry which openly queried just who our chum, "Demonologist" aka TFO, might be. I also stumbled across some further clues.

Deme's latest
comment-flood, however, gave away something incredibly interesting.

All it took, was this little snippet of text:
Let me make Bishop Seán Manchester's position quite clear. He has no interest in party politics and has at no time in his life been a member of any political party.
What's that? Speaking on the Bishop's behalf with an air of representative authority?

That's a pretty odd call to make, considering that he only claims to be "personally acquainted with Bishop Seán Manchester and have been for some considerable time."

I decided to Google portions of "Demonologist"'s comment-flood with the expectation of finding it regurgitated from elsewhere.

I wasn't let down:
Let me make Bishop Manchester's position quite clear. He has no interest in party politics and has at no time in his life been a member of any political party.
That quote came from a post called "The Devil's Fool", dated 6/23/2007 6:38 AM, on The Cross and the Stake message board.

The most significant item, however, is its author: "From: MSN NicknameDennisCrawford1".

Yep, it's the username of the one-and-the-same International Secretary of the Vampire Research Society.

Funnily enough, remarkably "similar" content to
Dennis' post and "Demonologist"'s comments, can also be found on "Arminius Vámbéry"'s "Wicca Workers Party" blog entry for In the Shadow of the Highgate Vampire.

Well, as the old adage goes: with friends like these...

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Don Ecker's Report, Compiled

This is certainly the most exhausting series of blog entries I've ever "written", but, all worth it.

You can read the preludes here and here.

Next, we begin with the first installment. And the second. Then, onto the third and fourth. Followed by the fifth, sixth and seventh.

After that, comes number eight. There's also nine, ten and eleven.

Last, but certainly not least, is number twelve.

One post in particular, is even getting "fanfare" from none-other-than TFO! Great stuff.

The Ecker Report's Conclusion

We carry on from here and make our way to the report's gripping conclusion. Contains mild profanity.
Here is the response they posted on their website. And one thing more before I include their response. For some obscure reason, they refuse to spell Farrant’s last name. They simply put David F[--]. Weird, huh?
“Attacks in the 21st century against Bishop Manchester by those with an anti-Christian bias perhaps echo what happened to his predecessor? For example ...

Don Ecker wrote:
"In the late 1990's I began to do some research on Highgate via the web. ... My interest in Highgate goes back to about 1981-82 and I finally was able to get a handle on the case. I just interviewed David F[——] and at this point Sean Manchester does not wish to be interviewed by me. For a really delicious show I invite you all to check out Dark Matters ... etc, etc."
From the onset, Don Ecker's Dark Matters reveals someone who is willing to twist the truth to suit his agenda which certainly includes a form of emotional blackmail to try and force Bishop Manchester into being interviewed by piling up a mountain of libel that some people would want to address. Ecker falsely attributed content of e-mail exchanges he had with Katrina Garforth -Bles, claiming that she made "snide remarks" about Americans and then tried to capitalise out of the initials of her name, ie "KGB." He did this on a number of occasions. Curiously, or not as the case might be, Dav id F—— does exactly the same thing. No need to guess where Ecker's leads were coming from. The claim that Katrina made such remarks is completely untrue and we shall offer to publish all of the e-mail exchanges with him on one of our forums to demonstrate this fact provided Ecker agrees.

Don Ecker allowed and indeed encouraged David F—— to give voice to what can only be described as an endless stream of libellous abuse and fabricated nonsense about Bishop Manchester who is the author of The Highgate Vampire. Not once did Ecker challenge F—— on any of these defamatory insults by simply asking: "Where is your evidence?" David F——, for example, alleged that the good bishop was sellin g to the public. copies of his ordination "certificates" and videos of his episcopal consecration. Bishop Manchester would not dream of doing anything of the kind and anyone who has evidence to the contrary is invited to produce it. Copies of his instrumen ts of ordination and consecration appear in his book The Grail Church. The episcopal consecration was professionally filmed for the Church archive, but this film has never been offered to the public. Some television programmes have requested to use parts of it, but this request has always been refused for copyright reasons. [which is kind of self-defeating, if you ask me. I mean, after all, who holds the copyright to it? -ed.] F—— also made the usual slurs about how this or that Old Catholic community in the USA or Holland had denied all knowledge of Bishop Manchester. In fact, Bishop Manchester is very well known by Old Catholic jursidictions outside his homeland where he just happens to be the presiding bishop of the British Old Catholic Church . Ecker just went along with one fabricated piece of defamation after another, often adding fuel to the fire with his own comments.

Don Ecker is a man who styles himself as a "criminal investigator" yet he showed absolu tely no interest in the crimes of his interviewee who, let us not forget, was sentenced to almost five years' imprisonment for offences relating chiefly to Highgate Cemetery and threatening people with black magic (voodoo death dolls sent to police witnesses). Ecker's interest was clearly focused on the man he was not interviewing about whom both were prepared to misrepresent and libel at considerable length. Bishop Manchester was discussed far more than the topic the programme was supposed to be about.

There was not one single truthful statement made by the character Ecker was talking to on the obscure radio slot where Dark Matters surfaces. It would be pointless to plough through all the poisonous allegations and expose each one for the malicious falsehoo d it palpably is. This would turn into a very long response indeed if I was to attempt to do that. Let me instead take just a couple of brief examples.

Ecker played his guest (who was speaking to the radio programme from Muswell Hill, London in the UK via telephone) a sound file where David F—— could be heard saying: “As to the question of whether a vampire still exists at Highgate Cemetery, well, I can only say yes it does.” This from the man who keeps repeatedly stating that he does not believe in vampi res and has never sought them out. Ecker recognised the voice to be authentic and asked F—— about the sound file which had been forwarded to the radio station by Katrina. [So they were unable to arrange an interview with Ecker about their side of the Highgate Vampire Case, but were more than willing to assist him undermine Farrant? Hmm... -ed.] The identity of the voice was undeniable, but listeners were told by F —— that this was a cut and spliced excerpt from an interview given in the 1970s to the author of The Highgate Vampire, ie Bishop Manchester. Ecker did not question this even though he must have known the words are from a video made and sold by the man uttering them; a vi deo, moreover created in 1998, not in the 1970s. The interview on videotape comprises David F—— sat in his Muswell Hill bed -sitting room talking about his pet subject, peppered with images (some stolen from The Highgate Vampire), with his final comment being the few seconds played by Don Ecker. The video was created in 1998 and offered for sale under the title In Search of the Highgate Vampire. Bishop Manchester had absolutely no part in this video or the somewhat amateurish interview which featured David F——. Nobody has subsequently picked up on this glaring falsehood.

Ecker allowed his interviewee to claim that he was set up in 1970 by the BBC who provided him with "props" to fulfill the role they wanted him to play when, in fact, he was contacted by the BBC as a direct consequence of his arrest in August of that year at Highgate Cemetery, subsequent court appearance and imprisonment whilst on remand. The BBC merely invited F —— to reconstruct what he was doing on the night of his arrest. This involved him prowling about the graveyard with a cross and a stake with the stated intention of plunging the latter into the heart of the vampire if ever he made its discovery. This was reiterated by David F—— in the Evening News newspaper on 16 October 1970 when he took staff reporter Barrie Simmons on a vampire hunt in Highgate Cemetery equipped with cross and wooden stake. Pictures of F—— stalking the vampire at midnight were included in th e article.

David F—— has a history of claiming that he was set up by this journalist or
that journalist, by a television company, by the judicial system and, of course, by Bishop Manchester whom he regards as his arch -enemy. Ecker already knew this becaus e Katrina had provided him with facsimiles of the relevant documents that underline the abject charlatanry of this man. This was done at a time when Ecker was trying to interview both parties individually to boost his ratings. [A very sneaky presumption indeed. Seriously, what has the Bishop got to hide? -ed.] It was explained that Bishop Manchester would not wittingly contribute to any programme or project that also includes David F —— and that this has been the status since October 1970. [But, of course, it's ok for the Bishop to depict Farrant in art and to write about him at length. - ed.]

On Dark Matters F—— was allowed to get away with anything and everything. He was provided with a platform on Ecker's programme to propagate lies at the expense of not just the author of The Highgate Vampire but also a totally innocent person, completely unconnected with the case, who was unjustifiably identified by her full name. F ——, of course, will inv olve absolutely any innocent third party to execute his vendetta which now spans thirty-seven years.

Ecker's entire exercise on Dark Matters was a travesty of the first order and should any libel lawyers in the USA show an interest in taking action again st the offenders, namely Ecker and his interviewee, the Vampire Research Society and its founder will co -operate to the fullest on a no win no fee basis. Such a case would be open and shut due to the seriously damaging allegations being completely unsubstantiated and demonstrably false.”
I loved the last part, looking for free-be lawyers to sue us. [Yes, especially in light of Manchester's material possessions. -ed.] Wouldn’t it be fun if someone got Manchester into court?

Okay, so you may ask why I bothered with any of this? A fair question, to be sure.

I was ready to accept, with proof, that something with a “high-strangeness” factor MIGHT have happened ….. but you bet I would want a lot of proof. I never did consider an actual vampire, but I am willing to concede there might be “something.”

All those years ago, something drained those cattle I investigated, something appears to periodically attack livestock in Texas, Mexico, Central America, etc. and they attribute it to a creature they call the “goat-sucker.” Is it possible there is some type of “natural” creature that feeds on animals by ripping out their throats and drinking the blood? I don’t know, maybe.

So, it always rubbed me the wrong way when someone expounds something so preposterous as an actual “honest to God vampire” and I am supposed to simply take their word for it. Furthermore, if you ask legitimate questions suddenly you are the ENEMY! For over 20 years I encountered that in the UFO research field. But I had a reputation because I was willing to expose the frauds and the bull-shit artists that inhabited that field. I know investigations and how to conduct one. This case was no different, even though I was many thousands of miles from the actual site.

I had no doubt that Manchester and his cronies would attack me, or that they would claim I took the word of a “convicted felon” but as a former police officer with some of the information I dug up, Manchester seems to have escaped that fate (of being a felon himself) by “The Grace of God!” They have claimed I defamed him, I liabled him and all the rest of it, but he refused to speak to me either on or off the record. As a matter of fact, if there is a “KGB” he HID behind her by refusing to even write me via email time after time. My impression was he expected me to “Kiss The Ring.” Well sorry, I don’t kneel, nor do I kiss rings. I could have gone on about this case, Manchester’s claims to glory by reason of an alleged ancestor of his, a maid, who refused to keep her knee’s shut and the infamous “Lord Byron” knocked her up. Manchester says this is one of his line. No proof that I am aware of, but still another example of something we are simply to accept because “Bishop Manchester” says so.

So if you ask me for my bottom line on this story, I will simply have to say … “BULL SHIT.” As far as was there ANY SUPERNATURAL influences a-foot? I doubt it. And by buying Manchester’s “The Highgate Vampire” and his “The Vampire Hunter’s Handbook”, well Hell, I’m out over $40.00.

Don Ecker

Friday, June 12, 2009

Slouching Toward the Ecker Report Conclusion

Here's the previous "issue".
The next area I covered with Farrant was whether or not Manchester was an actual “man of the cloth.” Farrant’s organization contacted the “Old Catholic Church” in Holland, the United States (and on Manchester’s website he states that the Vatican, and churches in the U.S. and Holland recognize his status) and the Old Catholic Church in the U.K. which, according to Farrant, claimed that Manchester did not have any status with them. (And I will add that when I was researching this case I also contacted the U.S. Old Catholic Church in Los Angeles, Florida etc. and they were not aware of any Bishop Sean Manchester. When I informed the several clergy why I was making an inquiry, concerning vampirism, well they were not amused.)
[The original report reproduced a transcription of the letter of by Rev. Illtyd Thomas, mentioned in this post. To elaborate further, it specifically declares: "I, The most Recd. Iltyd Thomas, Servant of Our Lord and Saviour Lord Jesus Christ. By the Grace of God, Bishop in The Old Catholic Church of Utrecht Succession, who did give you Holy orders, to the above named Sean Manchester and again who on the 14 October 1991 did bestow upon him Episcopal Consecration which in itself was null and void as Sean Manchester had not declared he had been involved for some years in the occult which is strictly condemned by Christianity and Christendom. " -ed.]
There is more about that but a newspaper article from the Daily Mirror, dated Thursday November 5 1970 is more precise. The article reads,
"WIFE was “Terrified” by Black Magic threat on the phone."
“A young wife received a terrifying telephone call from a man who made Black Magic threats to her, a court heard yesterday.
The man who made the call, she alleged, was Mr. Sean Manchester, president of the British Occult Society.
The wife, Mrs. Gillian Bradish said that at the time of the phone call, her husband was standing bail for David Farrant who was recently acquitted of being found unlawfully in Highgate Cemetery late at night.”
Later in the article it states,
“Mrs. Bradish told North London magistrates yesterday that Mr. Manchester said over the phone: “Do you believe in Black Magic? Unless Bradish gives up bail for Farrant, something odd will happen to you and the children.”
The article ends with “Manchester, 25, of Holloway-road, Holloway was ordered to keep the peace for a year in the sum of 200 Pounds.
[A scan of the article was also included in Don's original report. Interestingly, the article also states that "he [Farrant] was looking for a vampire, he [Farrant] told his court hearing." in Highgate Cemetery. -ed.]
After the Farrant interview was completed and aired, I tried to get Manchester to sit down to an interview to give his rendition concerning the Highgate case. By this time I had no doubt that “vampires stalking the earth” was absolute nonsense. The following is another email I sent to Manchester via his “National Secretary.
“Dear Ms.Garforth-Bles,

Since you seem to speak for Bishop Manchester I am contacting you to extend an invitation to him on my behalf to be interviewed on my show. (By himself of course, not with Farrant.)

I know you have suggested that I contact Bishop Manchester on his public website but I do not do things that way. Since you have described yourself has his National Security I am contacting you. Feel free to give Bishop Manchester my email address and ask him to send a note if he would appear.”
“She” insisted that in order to contact Manchester I would have to write to him on his public boards. I never did hear from him directly. After they had sent along the audio file with Farrant, mentioned on the show I sent this along.
“Dear Ms.Garforth-Bles,
First, allow me to thank you for the audio wave file of Farrant asserting the reality of a vampire in the Highgate area. I will certainly ask about that.

Now, as to Bishop Manchester. I am not comfortable with your telling me that he would refuse to do a interview when I have not heard from him myself. I realize that you are his Secretary but if he does not wish to appear I prefer he let me know himself so as I am sure that he is aware of my invitation. And the invite is certainly still open.

Regards;

Don Ecker-Host
Dark Matters Radio
Later of course they placed a two page rebuttal on Manchester’s website whining and sniveling about the show and the “falsehoods” they claimed not only Farrant but also myself perpetrated upon the listening audience. But of course, I had to find it. They didn’t have the “balls” to forward it to me.
To be continued...

Now Stop...Ecker Time!

Continued from this post.
Now you say you want to follow up her cause of death?
Well sir, again, here is where fact and fiction get mixed up.
Jacqueline Cooper was his live in lover and common law wife.
His first wife, Marie, divorced him on grounds of adultery and named Jacqueline Cooper as Co-respondent on the Decree Nisi Absolute.”

“Jacqueline is listed under a series of surnames, one being Jacqueline Manchester, although they were never married.

So you see sir, Lusia was actually his common law wife who he had used for a series of publicity stunts around the same time.”
Now, when I had requested what John Spencer might be able to “dig up” concerning this death and burial, John found nothing. This is what Farrant’s research had to say regarding the burial of Lusia. (And once again, the Manchester group, nor Manchester would speak to me concerning any of this information. Pretty odd for someone that alleges that the dreaded undead are stalking the land.)
“In his book, he claims that after he killed her, he buried her in the Great Northern Cemetery. Not true.
One of our researchers got in touch with the administration department of the cemetery prior to their renovation which saw hundreds of old graves bulldozed for a housing complex to be built over. She confirmed that no woman called Lusia or Jacqueline Cooper had been buried in the year stated in his book. Furthermore, no woman matching the age that Lusia would have been, was buried in any grave in that time frame.

Realistically, what we have here, is a man claiming to have killed his common law wife and buried her in a cemetery. Were it true, then he would have been arrested for publicly admitting his crime.”
I asked Farrant on the show about the decades long feud that has existed between Sean Manchester and himself and as he said “I could hardly deny that, it is a matter of public record.”
I mentioned on the air that I had invited Manchester to do a show, but that according to Manchester’s National Secretary, Katrina Garforth-Bles,
“Dear Don Ecker,

In October 1970, Bishop Manchester announced that he would not engage in any programme, project or debate that includes the interloping charlatan and selfpublicist David Farrant. He is not about to overturn that decision thirty-seven years later.”
According to Farrant this was a rather odd thing to allege because David Farrant stated on the record that Manchester had not only written him while in prison, but when Farrant was released Manchester interviewed him. When I asked him why the FoBSM would tell me the above if that were not the case, he simply stated they were lying.
According to Farrant, the audio clip I had played on the show that Manchester’s “FoBSM” group had sent to me was from that interview and had Farrant making the following statement,
“As to the question of whether a vampire exists in Highgate Cementery [sic], well I can only say yes.”
Farrant went on to state that about 1977-78 during that interview, Manchester told him that he (Manchester) wanted to write a book on the Highgate Vampire and detail David Farrant’s involvement in the case. Farrant stated on the show that Manchester had brought a small tape recorder to his “flat” and requested permission to tape him, then told Farrant what he wanted him to say. (This must be a British thing) Farrant went on to state that over the years this tape was altered using clips from the tape that were mis-leading. One example involved what Farrant claimed was his explanation of “white magic vs. the dark arts.” Farrant went on to explain that he broke down the differences of “Wicca vs. Black Magic” and explained that Wicca had two deities, a male represented by the Sun, and a female represented by the Moon. He said that in early Wicca, Lucifer meant the “Light Bringer” and later in the early Christian Church, in an effort to “demonize” pagan beliefs, turned Lucifer into the Christian devil. Manchester asked him if he “worshipped Lucifer” and Farrant said that in respect to how he just explained Lucifer, that yes he did. Farrant then went on to state that later Manchester took this out of context to discredit him.

One of the really funny anecdote’s as relayed by David Farrant involving Sean Manchester, were rumor’s that circulated that there was a “duel to the death” by swordplay that was supposed to have taken place in France. Farrant alleges that Manchester himself circulated a photograph that showed his “dead body” along with a obituary of Manchester. Farrant told me that in the “obit” and photo of the “dead” Manchester, gore and all was a solicitation for funds so his body could be shipped back to Glastonberry [sic], a place that had been “near and dear” to Manchester. The upshot was when the Highgate CID (Criminal Investigative Divison) showed up at Farrant’s flat and asked him what he had done with Manchester’s body? Farrant was very amused and decided to be “funny” and told them that since Manchester’s death was outside UK jurisdiction they should contact Interpol! He said that the investigators were not amused. “I didn’t know what to tell them” he went on to say “because I didn’t know where his body was!”
To be continued...

Yay! More Ecker!

Continued from the previous.
It's also why he refuses to allow people to host these pictures and threatens them with legal action (copyright) if they do not remove them from their websites.
[Pictures of Manchester's decomposing vampire - which can also be found on the VRS's "Highgate Vampire Picture" page - and the headline of an article called "HEIL! The faker behind a wicked trick on schoolkids", which depicts Manchester, were reproduced in the original report. -ed.]
Back on October 9th 1977, Sean Manchester was exposed by a national newspaper for attempting to create an anti-semetic feeling in a predominantly Jewish area of London. He had basically created a false story to try and get some free publicity, but it back fired in the most bizarre way. I've taken the liberty of uploading these to an online image server. [The links weren't accessible in the report. -ed.]
The rest of the article gives you an insight to the mentality of the man.
I should explain something else here. The date of the expose is very important. You see, Manchester claims to be a man of the cloth; a Bishop. He's not.
I have a letter of his excommunication by the very same man who ordained him.
This is a transcript of the original letter
[The letter was reproduced in the original report. It is titled "Proclaimation from Archbishop Thomas To Sean Patrick Manchester". It declares Manchester's orders as a Bishop invalid, because he "had not declared he had been involved for some years with the occult which is strictly condemned by Christianity and Christendom." -
ed.]
Manchester is now claiming that he has excommunicated the man who ordained him.
Impossible and rubbish.
Basically, his entry into the clergy was a tax dodge so he would be exempt from paying taxes. It's the oldest trick in the book.
I digress.
The date that Manchester gives for his various levels of ordination, from his own website, states that he became
"Superior General, Ordo Sancti Graal, 13 April 1973" [I've given a little coverage to this seeming discreprency elsewhere. -ed.]
...1973, yet only 4 years later, he was dressing up as a Nazi and scaring the local Jewish community.

It gets better.

A national magazine called "City Limits", in 1980, featured a picture of Manchester dressed as a Satanist charging a blade for a ritual.
The same picture appeared in a book by French author and Stanaist [sic] for Show, Jean-Paul Bourre around the same time.
[The image is reproduced in Don's original report. It does indeed depict Manchester in satanic garb for the purpose of a ritual. -ed.]
Now if you look closely at the bottom, the caption reads "Lord Manchester charging the sacricial [sic] dagger during a magic tritual [sic]."
[The original caption is in French and reads: "Lord Manchester «chargeant» le poignard du sacrifice, au cours d'un rituel magique". Thus, the English translation is fairly accurate. For another French connection to the Highgate Vampire Case,
check this out. -ed.]
Lord Manchester?
Yep, he was using this title in France for quite some time and pretty much lied about who he is/was.

This stems from another falsehood.
Manchester claims to be a descendant of Lord Byron but has absolutely no proof of this whatsoever. He bases this very loosely on the fact that Byron had sex with a housemaid; got her pregnant and that this is his lineage to Byron.
It's incredible given the fact that were it true, he'd have shown off the genealogy report to everyone online by now. His other claims, is that he is of Royal descent along with his wife, Sarah and that he is also related to King Arthur.
The fact that historians doubt Arthur even existed didn't deter him from making such a ridiculous claim. [Similar claims are about about the existence of Robin Hood, but that doesn't stop things like this, either. -ed.]
A man of the cloth being photographed and exposed after his so called ordination?
He once claimed that it's not him in the photo's.
He then changed his mind and threatened legal action as the images were his copyright.

He now claims to be a Bishop, but once again, research has shown that he has never undertaken a single days worth of a Theology degree.
Even the most humble and basic Priest is required to study for three years.
Manchester claims to be an autocephalous Bishop, but this still doesn't explain nonstudy.
He also claims to be the Bishop of Glastonbury.
Interesting, considering there is no such thing; Glastonbury falls under the auspices of the Bishop of Bath & Wells.”
The next point of business was discovering just who Lusia was. I have recounted in earlier posts my reasons for attempting to discover her identity, also a certificate of death, if one existed, and what the Medical Examiner (ME) had to say on the certificate. However, as I was to discover, her place of internment, as identified by Manchester in The Highgate Vampire, the Great Northern Cemetery, no burial matching his description or dates, or matching “Lusia” was discovered. Once again, according to Farrant,
“The second victim, Lusia, was played out as some woman he met briefly, fell in love with, she got turned into a Vampire and he killed her. All very Stokerish in conception with a hint of "ships passing in the night". Just one little problem. This so called stranger was anything but a stranger. She was in fact, Jacqueline Cooper.
To be continued...

The Ecker Report Rides Again

Continued from here.
The following is derived both from the show and our telephone discussions. (And this is again to remind the readers that I tried again and again to give Manchester his chance to appear on the show and “correct the record” with anything he may have disputed.

According to David Farrant,
“Well, it's true that Manchester claims that two girls were attacked by the Vampire; Elizabeth Wodjyla and the ever elusive Lusia.
What he fails to point out, is that the only two alleged victims, were friends of his. Allow me to explain.
Elizabeth was indeed a real girl, but she also happened to be the girlfriend of a close friend of his, Keith McClean [Maclean. Incidentally, Keith also happens to be the Regional Area Secretary of the VRS. -ed.], with who Manchester is still friends with.
It was rather convenient, that his best friends girlfriend should be attacked by a Vampire that he created.
Elizabeth, many years later, and in a phone conversation to an associate said that the whole thing "Was just for a laugh."
Now, as to the fact that “The Highgate Vampire” went through two editions, with the second edition having several photographs removed,
“Manchester released two editions of his book The Highgate Vampire. The second edition omits a number of photographs. One in particular, shows a victim with two bite marks on her neck; the problem is, that it isn't Elizabeth's neck, nor is it Lusia.
If it is Elizabeth as he may claim, then the marks are not consistent with later photo's of her wounds. Manchester failed to realize that one day with the aid of digital technology, we would be able to scan and blow up images to such proportions, that even the finest detail would show.
What the original photo shows, is that the marks were quite clearly made by a marker pen or paint. The reason is that the lower bite mark has been dotted in twice; obviously the first attempt was too great a distance from the top mark. That isn't the only problem. If you look at both pictures of two obviously different women (the jaw line gives this away) you can easily see that the width of the two bite marks is different.
Now if this were a vampire in other words, the bite marks would be the same. If a vampire really existed, their teeth and bite marks would be no different forensically than the host body they inhabited.

It is physically impossible to leave two point like marks in a neck and not leave an impression from the mandible; in short, it's impossible to suck blood using only the maxilla and teeth. One need only look at the animal world to see the case in point. Rather than two "Hollywood" pinholes, the throat would be torn apart.
So to recap:
  • Bite marks are inconsistent;
  • Elizabeth was his friends girlfriend;
  • Elizabeth stated in a phone conversation that it was all "just for a laugh".
Now, I must state for the record that I have never seen the first edition of Manchester’s book, it is almost impossible to find one anywhere. I do have the second edition book, but once again these photographs are missing showing “fang marks.” For what it is worth at this point however, I accept what Farrant told me, if for no other reason than the Manchester group (let me use some police speak here) the Manchester group was “SO HINKY” with the information … I knew something was ROTTEN in Denmark.

I spoke to someone that was extremely familiar with all the “in’s and out’s” with this case and after this person was assured that I would keep his name confidential, he provided me with the following.
“I should explain something else here.
In the late 60's/early 70's, Manchester made a short film on an old cine camera called "The Vampire Exhumed". In it, Manchester played not only the Vampire, but the Vampire Hunter as well. Only one picture exists outside of Manchester's lock & key and it was for the poster of his home movie. The poster shows Manchester dressed as a Vampire looking up at the camera after having bitten the neck of a woman who has been identified as Jacqueline Cooper. The film itself was shown to a small number of people back in the '70's. David Farrant was one of them.
A few months ago, by pure luck, one of the members of David's organization and a fellow author, met a man at a book launch who claimed to have seen this film as well, back in the 70's.
A few months ago, by pure luck, one of the members of David's organization and a fellow author, met a man at a book launch who claimed to have seen this film as well, back in the 70's.
He corroborated the exact details that David had given of what he remembered. David always maintained that there was a small section of home movie at the end of the film that featured what he believed to be Manchester and a woman having sex in a garden or in public on some grass, but as soon as this came on, that Sean would automatically put it out of focus so you couldn't see what was happening.
The new witness brought this up himself and said that the woman was Jacqueline Cooper.
He also shed light on something that has either been a source of amusement or wonder; the infamous Vampire decomposing pictures. Well David has maintained all along that it's Manchester himself under the make up, but he didn't know how the effect was created. This new witness explained that when he had asked Manchester back in the 70's with a lot of praise for the effect, Manchester explained how he did it.
Now it's important that you realize that Manchester had a photographic studio at the time; something he brags about given the chance and a knowledge of photography.
The film is basically time lapse photography played in reverse.
Manchester had a watery flour mixture on his face and a heater & fan set up nearby.
The heat source melted the mixture and the fan blew it off of his face.
Once the time lapse photography was finished, the effect was played in reverse.
As the frame rate was so stilted, you wouldn't be able to see the blow off effect but simply a very basic face morph.

It is a set a 3 pictures from his home movie, that made their way into his book and on his own website.
3 very grainy pictures from someone who is supposed to be a professional photographer. The reason that they are so small, is that blowing up a cine film still, would leave too many artifacts in frame that would give the game away as to their origin.
To be continued...

The Ecker Report Rides High

Continued from the previous page.
Of course much more was to come, but after I had requested getting an interview with Manchester via “KGB” this came to naught. I also asked John Spencer to make some inquiries to the Farrant group, John did and I received a note from his webmaster. I explained my interest to them and asked if I could speak to Farrant and also do an interview with him. After a few days (Farrant was tied up with some other matters) he agreed to my calling him for a short conversation. We agreed on a time and I called him and had a very interesting chat. I questioned him about “Elizabeth Wojdyla” and of course “Lusia.” David Farrant gave me information I would of otherwise not been able to get on this side of the Atlantic ocean. For example, in the first edition of “The Highgate Vampire” there was a photo of “fang marks” on Wojdyla’s throat and in the second edition this was removed. Farrant told me that he was able to find her in the late 1970’s and according to what he told me, Elizabeth admitted to him that the picture was done as a joke with Manchester putting the “fang marks” on her with a “Magic Marker” pen. As far as Jacqueline Cooper, Farrant told me that Manchester had a romantic interest in her and she was named in Manchester’s divorcing his then wife [Marie Manchester -ed.] with Cooper being named as cause.
[Don's original report was originally accompanied by a reproduction of the divorce certificate (No. 11323 of 1970). Indeed, VRS representative, "Demonologist" (note that at least two VRS pages - its homepage and "Highgate Vampire Domain" - link to his blogs, not to mention his frequently speaking on their behalf and claiming to be "personally acquainted" with Manchester himself) makes oblique reference to it in this comment: "Never mind the uploading of a confidential high court document that was obtained through deception by David Farrant and forwarded to Don Ecker whose reproduction of it is in breach of UK law." He doesn't make any claims against its authenticity, but instead notes it as a "confidential high document", thus, we can be assured that it's the real deal. And, it does indeed list Jacqueline Cooper for the reasons mentioned. -ed.]
On July 26, 2007 I interviewed David Farrant, long distance, for my Dark Matters Radio Show. The interview was not quite two hours in length and was enlightening in the depth of information garnered.

By this time I had gathered reams of information on the case, documents, geographical areas of interest, and from contacts in the United Kingdom, information that I would not have otherwise been able to gather because of my distance from the site. The Manchester group, or FoBSM, had been of no help what so ever, except they were very quick to send me news stories of Farrant’s legal troubles over the years including a “news story” about his “de-flowering” a young “virgin” girl.

The following news story was taken from “The Sun”, a British tabloid newspaper, dated October 31, 2006, sent to me by the FoBSM.
[Rather than reprint the article, as Don did in the original report, I'll instead provide this link to it. I should also note that the FoBSM regularly distribute this article and it occasionally finds itself embedded into VRS material. It can even be found in the text that accompanies Sean Manchester's "Dæmon" blog entry for his Metaphysical Meanderings. -ed.]
In this particular email a photograph of Farrant was included of him wearing a “t-shirt” and smoking a cigarette. The t-shirt was a cartoon-ish character called “Bishop Bonkers” taken from a short lived parody titled “Bournemouth Nights” that in a very funny manner, detailed the feud between Manchester and Farrant. This cartoon series ran on a website called “MondoSkepto.” When Manchester found out about the series it was eventually taken down because of his complaints and possible legal actions. The following was also included in the email to me.
[I've omitted the photographs due to potential accusations of copyright violation. Incidentally, the comic was a product of collusion between David and JREF Forum member, CLD (Cecil Lamont-Dwiggins. Most likely not his real name). I was depicted within it as a Manchester sympathiser because I regularly questioned David's claims on the JREF Forum. (see entire thread related to David, here) Indeed, at one point, I was even accused of being Manchester himself. The comics were later collated and published by the British Psychic and Occult Society. David hijacked the JREF Forum thread to give it publicity, generate sales and further line the BPOS's - i.e. his, coffers. -ed.]
David Farrant “advertising a T-shirt distributed and sold by members of the J.R.E.F.F. [James Randi Educational Foundation Forum. -ed.] The T-shirt displays on its front a crude cartoon of Bishop Seán Manchester who is described as "Bishop Bonkers." Talk about infantile!
Is this the best the J.R.E.F.F cronies can come up with in their hate campaign against the bishop? In having David Farrant model their "merchandise" at London's Muswell Hill, however, they have exposed the degree of collusion (behind the scenes) between the J.R.E.F.F. and David Farrant in their mutual vendetta against a man who stands firmly by his faith and his principles.
David Farrant was sentenced to four years and eight months in the UK following convictions for vandalism, desecration and threatening witnessess in a case of sexual assault. David Farrant also has convictions for indecency in a churchyard, theft and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. He has spent his entire life living off state benefits and still occupies the attic bed-sitting room he was found while on parole in 1976. David Farrant is a sixty-one-year old publicity-seeker.
One of the foremost inciters of hatred against Bishop Manchester is prominent J.R.E.F.F. member Catrena Hxx of XXXX, North Carolina, USA. She advertises anti-Bishop Seán Manchester items and other material on her websites. She nearly always uses the pseudonyms "The Vampire" (on the J.R.E.F.F.) or "vampire406" on her sites and elsewhere. She is a fifty-year-old female with irrational hatred and contempt for anyone who is Christian or who believes in the supernatural. Last year she also joined David Farrant's personal forum which is devoted exclusively to fabrication, falsehood and malice against the author and exorcist Bishop Seán Manchester.
During the course of the interview I conducted with Farrant, he was open and he was willing to discuss any aspect of the case. He was completely open in our discussion concerning his incarceration in prison, and while he did not discount some type of supernatural influence that may have “haunted” the Highgate Cemetery, he totally denied that there had ever been a vampire haunting the area.
I wanted to know about the two “vampire victims” that were discussed in Manchester’s book. What was the story about Elizabeth Wojdyla and of course Lusia/Jacqueline Cooper? Had they, either of them, been afflicted by anything weird, odd, unusual?
To be continued...

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