Trust me I'm a healer - BBC2 tonight

[ohp]

Oh.... dear.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/programmes/?id=trust_healer

[Big Les]

"Oh dear" indeed, although the write-up is brilliant!

This eye-opening series delves into the world of fake psychics and peddlers of miracle cures and follows some of the self proclaimed healers as they tout their dubious talent.

Sounds more Charlie Brooker than Diane Lazarus!

[FarSideOfTheMoon]

At the same time on Zone Reality on Sky,

Psychic Private Eyes
Mondays @ 22.00 from 8th January

Zone Reality proudly presents its first original commission, Psychic Private Eyes [ click here for the website ].

Psychic Private Eyes conducts real life psychic investigations into baffling murders and disappearances, using the unique skills of Colin Fry, Tony Stockwell and the remarkable female psychic medium T.J. Higgs. Theyll take on criminal cases, forgotten by the police and press, and attempt to contact the dead victims for clues.

The truth cant stay buried forever.

At the heart of each one-hour episode is a detective story, with families searching for answers to the mysteries surrounding the untimely deaths of their loved ones.

Says Colin Fry: "The people were reading for have already had the worst happen to them. They want to know the facts and need to know them, no matter how gruesome. If we can tell them it was over quickly or there was no pain, then this can take away some of their anguish and help them move on."

The Psychic Private Eyes will use many of the secret techniques developed in their work with the police, such as literally walking in the victims shoes. A co-production with television company IPM, Psychic Private Eyes is Zone Realitys first original commission since it began broadcasting in the UK. IPM also produce The 6ixth Sense with Colin Fry.



http://www.zonereality.tv/shows.php?id=981

[Big Les]

Oh sweet Jebus. Just as well Nip/Tuck is starting a new series at the same time (and my girlfriend watches it), or I'd end up watching that.

[Big Les]

Oh god help me, I'm watching it anyway. Fry is his usual vague self, cock-a-hoop when he lands an unexpected hit "I'm getting a one-way train ticket".. (wish he bloody would) "oh, the victim got a BUS". Something about a male who was close to the family being "involved" in the murder (back in 1957). Wow, genius - what percentage of people know their killers again? "Butchery". "garages or garage".

Bugger all of substance; he's not even that good a cold reader. As for the other two -

Stockwell tries some badly-lit psychometry with a broken bottle and comes off as a reject from Shirley Ghostman's "the Paranormalists". This is his stream of "sensings";

"Her mother's passed on" [- after all this time; likely I'd have thought.]
"Longish fair hair, dimples" [- really? On a little girl in the 1950s?]
"torture or humiliation before death" Real classy.
"strongly believed she's murdered" [-pretty safe bet after 50 years, don't you think? Tough to disprove too.]
"sexually motivated" [-playing to the crowd or what (see below)]
"one primary person, others aware, helping with disposal" [-implying an abuse "ring" (see below) but could refer to other joint killings e.g. the Wests, the Soham case.]
"Mature man maybe 40, thick-set". [-standard paedo/murderous middle-aged white guy schtick]
"his family still living...on..the Earth". [-I mean, seriously?]
"a driver of some description". "chloroform in the bottle". "dentist connection", "4 or 5 o-clock" "buried in tree-lined road or avenue" "murderers lived or work on outskirts of town or village" "she's tucked under there".
"Janice or Janet"

The sister, who has got in touch with the Fry-gang. claims to have been aware of a paedophile in the family, and that this was suppressed. She says the man, who she reveals as her fater, later admitted to being the last person to see her. From that she claims he was part of a murderous paedophile ring. God. This is pretty twisted.

The new face, some woman I've never heard of, is more of am "empathetic" style psychic, trying to appear to be putting herself in the position of the people involved. Her first effort involves miming the job of a bus driver (yeesh). "And that's how he got close to children." They're all but running to a script here in my opinion!

Apparently one of her father's friends was a bus driver and confessed in prison to abusing a young girl. Trained as a butcher in the army (?!) She makes out that the bus depot he worked from was the "garage or garages" thrown out by Fry earlier. "TJ" walks the area, rides a bus (sigh) and repeats and reinforces the same paedo-related speculation as she, Stockwell and the sister have already done.

Fry does likewise, having been briefed directly by the sister on her theory as to where and how the girl was buried. He parrots back to her, her idea that she was concealed in a ready-dug cemetary plot, so that she would be covered by a following burial. Unbelievable; he doesn't even hide this, just validates what she's already said, with some of the psychics made up tidbits thrown in for flavour.

"Dr Brian Venters" lends some measure of authority to proceedings by trotting out typical paedo profiling tidbits that are intercut with the psychic BS. He probably thinks he's helping. As does Tom Clarke MP, who supposedly gave the sister the idea to call Fry et al, and should bloody well know better.

Needless to say the psychics claim no prior knowledge of any of this. My arse. Sorry this isn't better formatted or more neutrally presented, but I have to stop as I actually feel dirty having watched this crap. :(

[volatile]

I'm watching this now.

It's completely and utterly barmy - fairies, gnomes, water spirits guided by harmonicas, magical cures for cancer, past lives, crystals... and we're only 13 minutes in!

[volatile]

Oooh... now we've had genies in bottles.

And this charlatan has a website - http://www.azizshamanism.com/index.html...

ETA: Bafflingly, the narrators conclusion, after showing the people Peter claimed to be healing more ill than they were before, and I quote - "It is too easy to dismiss him out of hand"!

[ohp]

The guy struck me as an odd, quirky, probably self deluded. I can't imagine that someone who was deliberately conning people would agree to being filmed like this.

That said, the guy didn't volunteer his services. This guy charges 40 pounds an hour.

"supressed emotions cause crystals to form in the dna"

"They [fairies] are under the waterfall"

"the most powerful of his guides are the water spirits.."

There was a lady who had terminal colon cancer. His diagnosis was that by blocking a well, she had angered the water spirits, and this had contributed to her cancer.

very sad to see a woman get worse and worse, then die from a terminal disease, in spite of the optimism shown by the healer. Ultimately he blamed the chemotherapy. (what happened to the angered water spirits?)

I must admit, at one stage in this programme I was concerned that they were showing this man in a favorable light, but at the end, they showed him quoting the koran into a bottle of water, in the hope of conjouring up a water genie, and it was obvious they were showing him for waht he really was, a rather odd, and deluded man.

[FarSideOfTheMoon]

The most disturbing thing was when the narrator said he could see why some people could get drawn into that world and believe it. Unfortunately I could totally understand his point, and we had two subjects in the film who fell under the spell.

One who delayed taking medication for several months.

And one who predictably died before the treatment took effect. Very sad.

[Big Les]

I see we managed to get both woo-progs watched and commented upon between us all. Perhaps we should all get out a little more often?!

[Gord_in_Toronto]

I see we managed to get both woo-progs watched and commented upon between us all. Perhaps we should all get out a little more often?!

Please don't (get out a little more often). If you do I'll have to watch these damn things when they show up here.:D

[FarSideOfTheMoon]

I've still got Psychic Private Eyes to watch on Sky Plus:scared:

[ohp]

I see we managed to get both woo-progs watched and commented upon between us all. Perhaps we should all get out a little more often?!

That's a good plan. Who fancies a trip to vegas next week? I'll meet you at the riviera on Wednesday.

[Deetee]

I'm watching this now.

It's completely and utterly barmy - fairies, gnomes, water spirits guided by harmonicas, magical cures for cancer, past lives, crystals... and we're only 13 minutes in!

also Trees talking to him, Dragon's eggs and the genie in a bottle as mentioned above!

How does he get away with giving his group of troobleevers a "hallucinogenic drug"? I thought these things were illegal.
(It is quite clear he himself takes the stuff regularly.)

[chillzero]

How does he get away with giving his group of troobleevers a "hallucinogenic drug"? I thought these things were illegal.
(It is quite clear he himself takes the stuff regularly.)

Which one is it?

It might just be nutmeg. Not illegal.

:D

[JonWhite]

...and there was a gnome!!!

I can't remember what the hallucinogen was unfortunately. I could take great pleasure in getting this self-deluded, half-witted, rip-off peddler of false hopes arrested!

[Mojo]

I could take great pleasure in getting this self-deluded, half-witted, rip-off peddler of false hopes arrested!Try the Cancer Act 1939. He seems to be advertising cancer treatments.

[Azrael 5]

Missed this.Damn.
When is Psychic Detective on,BTW?

[FarSideOfTheMoon]

Trust Me I'm a Faith Healer is on next Monday again on BBC2 at 2200

Seems to be like a series. Can't remember what they are focusing on next week, however it looked interesting.

[pdw709]

The last few scenes were the most telling for me.

The healer basically said that he thought that the patients Chemotherapy was interfering with his powers, and that he would have done better if he had asked here to stop her Chemo altogether.

However.....what would have happened if she had made a full recovery. No doubt he would have attributed this fully to his own powers and NOTHING to do with the chemo.

These people REALLY annoy me.........

Phil

[Irish Murdoch]

...and there was a gnome!!!

I can't remember what the hallucinogen was unfortunately. I could take great pleasure in getting this self-deluded, half-witted, rip-off peddler of false hopes arrested!

It was ayahuasca. Goodness knows whether it's illegal or not. All I can say is it looked like it produce a pretty darned unpleasant experience. I'll be sticking to real ale.

My overall impression of this character is that he was genuinely deluded, rather than simply a conman. That said, if we accept the delusion thesis, then we have to believe that he is galacticallydeluded. I say this because he claimed that a ring he was wearing had been given to him by fairies, and that some "dragon's eggs" simply manifested themselves while he was meditating. Now, of course, he must have at some point deliberately bought or otherwise acquired these items. To have done this and genuinely to think that they had been given to him by fairies/turned up during omphalitic contemplation is to be pretty powerfully deluded, I'd say. But then maybe that's what happens if you take enough hallucinogenic roots ....

[Irish Murdoch]

Try the Cancer Act 1939. He seems to be advertising cancer treatments.

Good idea, but I wonder if this, from his website, might cover him:

"These are the issues a person with cancer will need to face on their journey to find healing, but I must state that this does not constitute a cure for cancer, and no guarantee of cure is being implied, as in natural healing we treat the person, not the disease, and each persons journey will be unique."

What on earth that means, I don't know. If I get cancer, I'd like the disease treating, please. Treating the person, whatever that is, doesn't seem to do a thing to the disease ....

[Mojo]

Good idea, but I wonder if this, from his website, might cover him:

"These are the issues a person with cancer will need to face on their journey to find healing, but I must state that this does not constitute a cure for cancer, and no guarantee of cure is being implied, as in natural healing we treat the person, not the disease, and each persons journey will be unique."

What on earth that means, I don't know. If I get cancer, I'd like the disease treating, please. Treating the person, whatever that is, doesn't seem to do a thing to the disease ....The Cancer Act prohibits advertising treatments for cancer rather than claimed cures, so that disclaimer wouldn't get him out of it.

No person shall take any part in the publication of any advertisement—

containing an offer to treat any person for cancer, or to prescribe any remedy therefor, or to give any advice in connection with the treatment thereof

[volatile]

How does one go about seeking a private prosecution then? Or could we just report him to his local constabulary?

[Reno]

I have to admire you guys who managed to sit through those 2 programmes. I have tried on a few occasions to watch things like this on telly. I just can't do it. I used to be able to at least turn the programme on for a little while, but now I can't even bring myself to watch any part of any of them. They make me physically ill. The last thing I managed to watch was part of an episode of Most Haunted Live. After 10 mins I had a thumping headache and really felt like I was going to vomit.

I appreciate the posts and comments about these programmes though.

[volatile]

Email sent to the Devon & Cornwall Constabulary, via their website (http://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/v3/infopnt/contact/index.htm):

Sirs,

Following the documentary programme "Trust Me... I'm a Healer!" on BBC 2 (8th January, 10pm), I am writing to you ask for your investigation into a possible breach of the law within the boundaries of your constabulary jurisdiction.

Pursuant to the Cancer Act 1939, Section 4, I believe Peter Aziz, of 20 Furlong Close, Buckfast to be in breach of the act's provision to prevent "an offer to treat any person for cancer, or to prescribe any remedy therefor, or to give any advice in connection with the treatment thereof". The documentary, and his website, clearly shows Aziz receiving payment from cancer patients in return for his spurious faith healing "treatments".

Whilst Aziz's website (at http://www.azizshamanism.com/) does claim a broadly worded disclaimer to the effect that his mystical, bizarre activities do not constitute a "cure" for cancer, it is clear that he is obtaining pecuniary advantage by offering treatments therefor.

I trust that you will take this enquiry seriously, as it seems clear to me that allowing charlatans and con-men to profit from the misery and desperation of the terminally ill is something the Devon & Cornwall constabulary should take with the utmost seriousness.

Yours,

Matthew C. Lodder

[volatile]

Well, full marks to the D&CC for prompt action - I had a call first thing this morning and ended up having a long chat with an officer about the programme (he hadn't seen it, although one of his colleagues had) and my specific concerns about it.

He had taken advice and thought that from a legal point of view they'd have problems getting a conviction due to the weasel-worded nature of Aziz' disclaimer. As the conversation went on, it was clear he was in the "non-believer" but not "sceptical" camp, as he made numerous vague references to "things you and I don't understand", but when I pointed out to him he might feel different were his own mother or grandmother were being conned, he realised the consequences of Aziz' actions.

Anyway, that was that, more or less it - he was very receptive, very interested and promised that, whilst he would make sure his "patch" would keep an eye on Aziz, there is an unfortunate disjunction between morality and the law in this particular area. I'm left wondering now whether other statutes might have been more applicable - Trades Descriptions, Obtaining Pecuniary Advantage Through Deception or other more regularly applied laws might have better convinced the boys in blue.

All in all, though, and it has to be said, I'm really impressed with the seriousness and speed that this was dealt with, despite the ultimately disappointing conclusion.

[H3LL]

Mattlodder, would it be worth contacting the CPS for their opinion? You have made the complaint and ultimately it is they that will decide whether to go ahead and if it is worthwhile.

Devon & Cornwall CPS (http://www.cps.gov.uk/local/southwest/devoncornwall.html)

.

[Capsid]

So the cancer act is a waste of time? You should go back to the police and requote the act as Mojo pointed out.


The Cancer Act prohibits advertising treatments for cancer rather than claimed cures, so that disclaimer wouldn't get him out of it.

[Irish Murdoch]

So the cancer act is a waste of time? You should go back to the police and requote the act as Mojo pointed out.

The only possible problem there is Aziz's (witless) claim on his site that his sort of therapy treats the person rather than the disease. Goodness knows what that means. But it leaves him open to saying "No, I don't treat cancer, I treat people with cancer". (That, of course, makes it sound as if he takes them out to the cinema or something.)

Just to re-emphasise that I was appalled by the programme. People can believe in fairies, dragons, and tree spirits all they want (it's their life, and who am I to say that they can't lead it in a fug of fantasy?), but when they go giving false hope to vulnerable people for financial gain, I get angry ....

[Deetee]

It was ayahuasca. Goodness knows whether it's illegal or not. All I can say is it looked like it produce a pretty darned unpleasant experience. I'll be sticking to real ale.

Interesting.
Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayahuasca) tells us something of its legal status. Apparently one constituent, dimethyl triptamine is a listed drug but using the source plant to brew up a concoction would not be illegal. In addition to the DMT, one also needs a monoamine oxidase inhibitor before the DMT acts as a hallucinogen.

In the programme, several people seemed to be puking their guts out, and one confused man stripped completely naked.

I wonder what would happen if under the influence of the stuff, one of Aziz's "patients" did something really dangerous, like stabbed someone. Pretty sure the D&C Constabulary would take more of an interest then.

Would it be worth alerting them that aside from breaching the Cancer Act he is also doing this to people?

[volatile]

To the head of the D&C CPS:

Sir,

I am writing to you in your capacity as Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Devon and Cornwall area.

In have recently been in contact with the Devon and Cornwall constabulary (ref OIS1054 10/1/07) regarding what I feel to have been a breach of the provisions of the 1939 Cancer Act, amongst others, and whilst I was most impressed with the speed and courtesy with which the police dealt with my concerns, I remain unconvinced by their specific assertion that there is probably no substantial case that can be brought.

My specific concerns arose from a documentary screened on BBC2 on the 8th January, 2006, entitled "Trust Me... I'm a Healer!". The programme focussed on the services offered by a Devon man, a Mr Peter Aziz from Furlong Close in Buckfast, who preyed on desperate cancer victims including an elderly lady who died only shortly after receiving his "treatments". Aziz offers treatments for cancer which, if his website (http://www.azizshamanism.com/) and the documentary are to be taken at face value, include communing with gnomes, spirits and faeries and the application of mystical crystals (!), all of which he charges handsome sums to supply.

Pursuant to the Cancer Act 1939, Section 4, these activities appear to be in breach of the act's provision to prevent "an offer to treat any person for cancer, or to prescribe any remedy therefor, or to give any advice in connection with the treatment thereof". D&CC were of the opinion that this man's deeply immoral actions were not necessarily contrary to this act, particularly as he provides a mealy-mouthed disclaimer that the services he offers do not constitute a "cure". Aside from the fact that those seeking his services clearly believe he is indeed providing a cure, you'll note the specific wording of Section 4 prohibit the provision of a treatment or "advice therefor", not just a cure.

I understand that, on the face of it, this may seem to be a trivial matter, but I would ask you to consider how you might feel were it a close family member of yours being fleeced in this way. My grandmother died of throat cancer and she was plagued in her final weeks by charlatans and mystics of this order offering her false hope in return for what I imagine to have been a not inconsiderable sum of money. The law, I understand, takes a dim view of other forms of fraud and deception, and I feel that just because this specific con is couched in magical language that it should necessarily be beyond your remit.

Would the CPS consider Mr Aziz' actions to be in breach of the 1939 Act? Are there any other appropriate statutes relevant to deception that might also be suitably applicable? It pains me greatly to imagine this man being able to continue to fleece money from the elderly, the vulnerable and the infirm without consequence.

Yours,


Matthew C Lodder