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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Lee Grimsditch & Ryan Merrifield

Poltergeist who 'pushed mum down stairs' terrorised family and threw plates

A terrifying poltergeist allegedly pelted a family with household items and even pushed the mum down the stairs.

The sinister ghostly figure - which resembled a monk and was accompanied by a child peeping from its robes - appeared almost every night.

Clare, her seven-month-old son, her boyfriend and sister had just moved into the home in Benchill, Wythenshawe, when the malevolent presence made itself known to them.

The family claimed the apparition pelted them with plates, ornaments and a piece of shelving, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The mum then turned to a vicar, a priest and several nuns in an effort to exorcise the "dangerous" spirit but such intervention did little to help.

On one occasion, Clare claimed she had been pushed down the stairs by an icy hand.

The story appeared on the front page of the weekly Manchester Metro News - a sister title to the MEN - in 1994.

Are you the family involved in this haunting? Let us know at webnews@mirror.co.uk

A priest from St Luke's in Benchill, Wythenshawe is said to have visited the family home (Manchester Libraries)

Clare told the newspaper at the time the family loved the home but after the terrifying occurrences begged the council to move them.

She said: "It started soon after we moved in.

"At first I thought it was nothing, but slowly it got worse and worse. I'm just so frightened, we all are.

"I like the house and I like it round here, but I just can't live with this. I can't take much more."

Describing the ghostly monk, the mum said it can be seen clearly when it appears and looks as though its face had been burned.

The family begged the council to move them. Stock image (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

She spoke of her fear, believing it was only a matter of time before somebody in the house got hurt.

Nuns from the Altrincham Road convent in Sharston had visited the home and given Clare a crucifix.

The Rev David Thomas of St Luke's Church had also visited the family home in an attempt to rid it of the spiteful apparition.

He said: "We said some prayers in the house, but that's all I could do. I think she's very genuine about what she feels."

A "concerned" Father Michael Murray from St John's RC Church in Woodhouse Lane had also visited the property to bless it with holy water.

After being approached, Manchester Council told the newspaper that they had no policy to deal with poltergeists.

A spokesperson for the council said: "She needs to go back down on the housing list, but I don't know how long it will take."

The spokesperson added the council only moved people at short notice if there was a threat of violence.

A week later, the same newspaper reported a team of "Ghostbusters" had visited the house in an attempt to discover more about the alleged poltergeist activity.

Members of the Stockport Ghost Society began their investigation at the family home.

Angela, one of the paranormal investigators, said: "I'd say there's definitely something there, and it's not like a poltergeist. It's a ghost that does things like a poltergeist for attention."

Despite the terrifying manifestation of the alleged spirit and its actions, Angela felt the monk was not malevolent in nature.

Initial investigations into several rooms in the house are said to have detected a "presence", resulting in one of the investigators becoming dizzy and light-headed.

Clare added: "I really like this house and I don't want to leave it. If they can get rid of it I'm happy to stay, but at the moment I'm really frightened."

What became of the alleged haunting of the house in Benchill, Wythenshawe, is not known.

No other records of the incident can be found in the British Newspaper Archive, so for now, its fate remains a mystery.

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