• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Psychic Sally morgan caught cheating?

Resurrecting this thread, I see that "Psychic Sally" is performing here on May 31. I saw the poster outside the White Rock Theatre on the way home just now. I thought of attending with one of my amateur radio transceivers, which has wide-band receive, until I saw the ticket price:

https://whiterocktheatre.org.uk/Onl...ticle_id=3A30F8F1-4A5E-4150-BDAC-94A44D849FFB

I might see if I can pick up a signal from outside the theatre.
 
Last edited:
leon_heller said:
Resurrecting this thread, I see that "Psychic Sally" is performing here on May 31. I saw the poster outside the White Rock Theatre on the way home just now. I thought of attending with one of my amateur radio transceivers, which has wide-band receive, until I saw the ticket price:

https://whiterocktheatre.org.uk/Onl...ticle_id=3A30F8F1-4A5E-4150-BDAC-94A44D849FFB

I might see if I can pick up a signal from outside the theatre.
Click to expand...

You probably could. Remember Sally's receiver must be small. If yours has a bigger antenna and is a better radio than hers then if you hang around outside the doors you might be able to pick something up. If you need to be unobserved go to the toilet. Check out the place beforehand. Know where the toilets are. Remember to record anything you find.
 
leon_heller said:
Resurrecting this thread, I see that "Psychic Sally" is performing here on May 31. I saw the poster outside the White Rock Theatre on the way home just now. I thought of attending with one of my amateur radio transceivers, which has wide-band receive, until I saw the ticket price:

https://whiterocktheatre.org.uk/Onl...ticle_id=3A30F8F1-4A5E-4150-BDAC-94A44D849FFB

I might see if I can pick up a signal from outside the theatre.
Click to expand...

It would be interesting to know the result, though these days I'd assume that something like a bluetooth receiver would be used, which would be cheaper and more secure (if, in fact, she is actually using an earpiece for this sort of thing).

As a general comment, it's probably best to assume that anything you post here can be seen by Sally or her team. Also, if you (generally, not specifically leon_heller) are planning something more active than just scanning the radio frequencies, it would be a good idea to hook up with the Project Barnum folks. I think they have some long term plans, and there have been some instances of local skeptic groups mounting a local protest or something similar that meant those plans had to be altered.
 
Blue Wode said:
Excellent investigative piece on Sally Morgan by Simon Singh in today's Guardian:

Is psychic Sally Morgan deluded, but essentially harmless?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/aug/16/psychic-sally-morgan-deluded-harmless?CMP=twt_gu
Click to expand...

The stupid twat!
Sally: You're very … there's nothing wrong with you

Subject: So … no HIV or anything?

Sally: Oh don't tell me that!

Subject: I hope not, I pray. I've never been tested

Sally: Never say you don't need … You don't need to be tested. I'm looking up to God here …
Subject: I have a fear of needles.

Sally: Well I'm looking up to God here and you haven't got it. Okay. So as long as you remain sensible with your partners, you have not got it.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
The defence submissions are posted too on pinterest - the link is in the afore mentioned URL in post 428. What is cool about the defence is that they point out that it is actually illegal in the UK to claim to be a professional Psychic.
She can not claim to be psychic in public performances because this is in breach of the consumer protection from unfair trading regulations 2008. And she can not claim to be psychic on TV or on the phone because this breaches rule 15.4 of the OFCOM code which states that 'Psycic readings cannot stray beyond the circumscribed area of entertainment and should never be presented as relaiable, substantiated or offering anything other than a form of entertainment'

So the defence is saying that we can not damage her repretation as a professional psychic because she can not legally claim to be a professional psychic.

Pretty funny that.
 
Last edited:
The date for the trial has been set, starts on June 10th.

The libel trial is due to start on 10 June and has been scheduled for three weeks.

The story was widely reported in the national press at the time but Associated Newspapers is the only publisher named on the writ. It was written as an opinion piece by the magician and former psychic Paul Zenon.

The Daily Mail published another article on the same day – headlined 'Only the lonely believe in ghoulish psychics'– which repeated the substance of the allegations.

Morgan is seeking aggravated damages, citing the serious and offensive nature of the allegations which effectively accused her of perpetrating a deliberate fraud on the public, which struck at the heart of her professional and personal reputation, integrity and honesty.
Click to expand...
 
A demonstration in court before a judge would certainly be an impressive defence. Colour me as completely optimistic that this will be successful. :(
 
Gord_in_Toronto said:
A demonstration in court before a judge would certainly be an impressive defence. Colour me as completely optimistic that this will be successful. :(
Click to expand...

Azrael 5 said:
Shouldnt Sally already know the outcome? ;)
Click to expand...

I agree. She should demonstrate genuine psychic powers in front of the judge and then collect big $ from everyone. Somehow I doubt it. She will turn around and say "prove I am a fake or lose." The judge will agree with her and so she will win.
 
rjh01 said:
The judge will agree with her and so she will win.
Click to expand...

Actually, you know, I think the paper will win. I'm not sure a judge will tolerate her nonsense. Not just because because the paper seems to have a much better case than she does, but because magic (including talking to spirits) has been declared impossible in English law since the Witchcraft Act of 1735, and people claiming to do so named as frauds. This was replaced by the Fraudulent Mediums act in 1951, which made it prosecutable to take money while claiming to be a medium for any reason other than "entertainment", although you had to prove that the medium was setting out to commit fraud. This was repealed 4 years ago and replaced with EU trading standards regulations which made it easier to prosecute mediums, as they have to be able to prove they can do what they claim they can.

So there's a long history in UK law of being anti-psychic, and the legislation has only been getting more stringent as time has gone on. If Sally Morgan is, by law, defined as a fraud unless she can prove she can contact the dead - which she is - then I can't see a judge saying "oh, actually, she's right. She can contact the dead". In fact, by law, she has to say that she's presenting her show for entertainment purposes only, and can't say that she's genuinely contacting the dead in her shows, because otherwise she's admitting to committing fraud under UK law.

I think this will be a lot of fun, and could set a lovely precedent. Even if it does mean that I'm rooting for The Daily Mail.
 
Is the newspaper the only one she's suing? I thought Simon Singh or someone else was as well.

Ward
 
Squeegee Beckenheim said:
Actually, you know, I think the paper will win. I'm not sure a judge will tolerate her nonsense. Not just because because the paper seems to have a much better case than she does, but because magic (including talking to spirits) has been declared impossible in English law since the Witchcraft Act of 1735, and people claiming to do so named as frauds. This was replaced by the Fraudulent Mediums act in 1951, which made it prosecutable to take money while claiming to be a medium for any reason other than "entertainment", although you had to prove that the medium was setting out to commit fraud. This was repealed 4 years ago and replaced with EU trading standards regulations which made it easier to prosecute mediums, as they have to be able to prove they can do what they claim they can.

So there's a long history in UK law of being anti-psychic, and the legislation has only been getting more stringent as time has gone on. If Sally Morgan is, by law, defined as a fraud unless she can prove she can contact the dead - which she is - then I can't see a judge saying "oh, actually, she's right. She can contact the dead". In fact, by law, she has to say that she's presenting her show for entertainment purposes only, and can't say that she's genuinely contacting the dead in her shows, because otherwise she's admitting to committing fraud under UK law.

I think this will be a lot of fun, and could set a lovely precedent. Even if it does mean that I'm rooting for The Daily Mail.
Click to expand...

I hope you are right. If so it may damage her career. I wonder why she is doing it rather than ignoring the comments?
 
IIRC the accusation was that she was tricking her audience in a particular way (communicating with someone backstage via microphone and earphone). She's always denied this and I'm inclined to believe her - her act is so poor it's unlikely to be the result of anything more than cold reading. I think she and her lawyers are going to concentrate on disproving that specific allegation, and hope to leave the public believing that she has thereby proved that she's genuine.

The other side needs to make sure that it's whether or not she can really contact the dead, rather than whether or not she used this specific trick to pretend she can, that's at issue, or she might well end up winning the case.
 
Last edited:
Pixel42 said:
The other side needs to make sure that it's whether or not she can really contact the dead, rather than whether or not she used this specific trick to pretend she can, that's at issue, or she might well end up winning the case.
Click to expand...

A large portion of their defence is, indeed, that she is a fraud and is perpetrating a scam on vulnerable and suggestible people by claiming to be able to speak to the dead. In fact, a cornerstone of their defence will be that it's impossible for them to damage her reputation as a psychic, as her case claims, because it's illegal for her to claim to be a psychic while soliciting money from people, as well as the fact that all "right-thinking people" are aware that there is no such thing as a psychic. Furthermore they're going to argue that if the court rules that she is a psychic, then she will be able to advertise herself as a court-sanctioned psychic.

They further go into many techniques Morgan uses, and have evidence that, at least, she has made statements that she wears an earpiece for "stage directions", which they contend is nonsense as her act consists of her standing on a stage. They're also going to bring up the time when, due to a bit of information-feeding from a member of the audience, Morgan got in contact with the spirit of a character from Doomwatch.

I think it's going to be a lot of fun, and I can't see any judge worth his or her salt ruling in Morgan's favour.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom