Ghost-buster The sceptic probing spooky sightings
THE offer of braving a night alone in a ‘haunted’ building is one that most people would decline with a shudder.
For Richard Case, however, exploring creepy locations with only a lantern for company is an ideal opportunity to expand his paranormal research.
The Bristol dad-of-two, who also goes by the name The Ghost Challenger on Twitter, travels the world collecting stories about ghost folklore and experiences.
As a self-confessed sceptic, his
By Name interest is in researchingNtahme heistory and analysing sightings to identify more rational reasoning behind spooky goings-on.
The 55-year-old, who lives in Bedminster Down, said: “I believe people do see and feel things, but often this can be explained by science and by logic.
“For example, if it happens when someone is waking up from sleep or going to sleep, it’s well-known that there’s a type of sleep paralysis where the brain hallucinates.”
But, he added there are “definitely credible stories” and a few cases he has been unable to come to a logical conclusion about.
He said there is a theory that poltergeist activity - physical disturbances such as loud noises or objects mysteriously moving could actually be some sort of telekinesis caused by the human mind rather than a supernatural being.
He added: “I’ve witnessed a lot of poltergeist activity. I’ve been out with groups and have seen a piece of wood appear to move from one place to another, things suddenly appearing to come from nowhere.
“When people are together, taking it seriously, maybe it can make these things happen.”
Richard’s fascination with the paranormal started from an early age, listening to his grandfather telling scary tales.
“He was one for telling stories. He told me once he saw [the ghost of] my Gran at the top of the spiral staircase in his house, and as a child I can remember going up that staircase with my hands over my eyes so I wouldn’t see her.
“I got really intrigued by why people believe in these things, and as I got older I was interested in the psychology of it.”
Richard used to work at the Department for Work and Pensions, helping unemployed people to get back to work, and also spent a couple of years volunteering at Avon and Somerset Police as a special constable. His paranormal research began in the early 90s, before television shows like Most Haunted and ghost-hunting channels on YouTube tapped into the nation’s fascination with all things eerie.
He added: “It’s all gone a bit crazy now, but I’m more interested in old-fashioned ghost hunters like Elliott O’Donnell and Harry Price, and the old way of doing it. You can get ghost hunting apps on iPhones now and it’s just a gimmick.”
When Richard first started researching he experimented with electronic voice phenomena (EVP) equipment, which are electronic recordings that some ghost hunters interpret as spirit voices.
He said: “I had a go with that but only once did I have something come back - I said ‘I speak with respect’ and heard ‘we know you do.’ I’ll never forget that. But looking back, maybe it was the wind making the noise.”
He said there are several locations people believe to be haunted in Bristol, including the Bristol Old Vic where the spirit of a former manager is still said to wander the halls. Despite spending time in several eerie locations where ghost sightings have been reported, there is only one time Richard really felt fearful.
“I was alone in a pub in Wales where they had a hangman’s noose. I was filming live and people were watching.”
Noises grew louder of what sounded like someone’s footsteps running up the stairs towards his room, he said, at which point Richard rushed to bolt the door and switched the lights on.
He said: “That was the only night I did freak out a little, that was a few years ago.
“It was a windy night and that was probably the reason [for the noises], to give a sceptic’s view.”
Richard said there is no such thing as a paranormal expert, adding:
“I’m a researcher, not an expert. There’s never an expert because we still don’t understand it.”
❝ I believe people do see and feel things, but often this can be explained by science and by logic
Richard Case