Psychic harassed ex-lover for 32 years by claiming to be her child’s father

A former television psychic has been banned from contacting a mother and daughter after a 32-year harassment campaign, in which he wrongly claimed he was the younger woman’s father.

Colin Stott, 61, had a brief affair with Carrie Knight in 1985, but he became fixated with her when she gave birth to a daughter, Tyla, two years later.

Stott hounded the pair with letters and cards and as Tyla grew up he made her aware of his relationship with her mother. He was repeatedly told he was not her father.

Police were called after Stott, who had appeared on television in the Nineties to talk about his “dowsing services”, wrote a sexually explicit short novel about a man who becomes attracted to a schoolgirl, which he sent to Tyla, now aged 30, at her home near Manchester. She was said to be “deeply disturbed”.

At Manchester magistrates’ court Stott, of Prestwich, near Bury, admitted harassment and was banned from contacting Ms Knight, 65, and her daughter for 10 years. He was given a 12-month community order, ordered to do 80 hours of unpaid work, attend an alcohol treatment programme and pay £385 court costs.