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In the early 70s, a man by the name of
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Michael Taylor committed one of the most gruesome murders in
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England's history. He was arrested shortly afterwards, and when asked
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why he had committed such a horrendous deed, he simply replied,
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The devil made me do it. Thank you. One of
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the most terrifying prospects for any advocate of the paranormal
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is the possibility of being possessed by an evil or
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demonic entity. The age-old fear of demonic possession, especially by
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the devil, has lived with man for as long as
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anyone can remember. Early civilizations told tales of demons of
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the night who could seize hold of a person and
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force them to commit vile and cruel deeds against their will.
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Hebraic and Sumerian folklore spoke of Lilith, the purported first
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wife of Adam, who gave herself to evil spirits and
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visited men in their dreams to steal their essence. The
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Old Testament related how King Saul was invaded by demonic
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entities and underwent severe depression before young David cast them out,
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whilst Jesus Christ is said to have expelled seven demons
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from Mary Magdalene as one of his many miracles. Islamic
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culture told tales of the jinn, a magical demon capable
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of granting wishes, whilst also seizing control of a person,
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and Hindu belief, warned of Rakshas, entities which could drive
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men to harm themselves and others. Over the course of history,
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we hear stories of the devil possessing humans without warning,
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and of the efforts to combat these demons in holy
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rituals called exorcisms. Yet what was once viewed as a
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genuine battle between good and evil, has now come to
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be seen as hysteria. born out of primitive society's ignorance
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to scientific and rational explanation, and in some cases, even
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farce and entertainment. The wider world is largely unaware of
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the 1949 case of Robbie Mannheim, a Baltimore boy who
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was possessed by demons and underwent an excruciating exorcism, but
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is far more familiar with the piece of fiction it inspired,
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William Blatley's novel The Exorcist, and its 1973 film adaption.
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Perhaps that is why the most notorious cases of such
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instances are lesser known, since there are times when these
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struggles have not always gone in our favour. One tragic
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example is the 1974 case of Anneliese Mikkel, a teenage
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German girl who allegedly fell victim to demonic possession and
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died during the exorcism, a case which loosely inspired the
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2005 film The Exorcism of Emily Rose. And perhaps it
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is also no coincidence that in the same year, one
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man in England fell victim to what many feel was
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a clear case of demonic possession, and committed one of
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the most gruesome crimes in English history. It was a
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crisp and calm autumn morning on Sunday the 6th of October, 1974,
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in the quiet little village of Osset, near West Yorkshire
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in England. For the devout Anglican villagers, the highlight of
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the day was the regular trip to the Morning Mass,
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a traditional practice by the pious folk that had taken
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place there since antiquity. For one woman, however, the thought
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of heading out to church that morning must have been
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the furthest thing from her mind as she picked up
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the telephone to contact emergency services. Just outside her window,
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she watched as a tall man ran stark naked past
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her front gate, yelling something incoherent about Satan and covered
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in what she described as red paint. As she urged
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the operator to send an officer to the scene of
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the disturbance, little did she, or in fact anyone in
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the quiet town realise, that the biggest scandal to ever
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rock their conservative community was just about to unfold. 31-year-old
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Michael Taylor was often described by neighbours as being a
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gentle and kind man, a loving husband and a wonderful
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father of five. He was born and lived his whole
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life in Osset with his family, and although he made
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a modest living In a time of increasingly high
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unemployment
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in the country, he was generally a happy and affable man.
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Several friends even noted that they often heard laughter coming
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from his home, for he loved to tell jokes and
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often played with his children to no end. Things, however,
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took a sudden change in April 1974, when he suffered
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a back injury after falling from the rafters of a
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home whilst attempting repairs. Although the injury was minor, he
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suffered chronic back pain, causing him to resign from his occupation.
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As he struggled to find a new line of work,
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he began experiencing severe bouts of depression. In June, he
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eventually settled into a job as a butcher, and although
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it brought in a low wage, he cheerfully did his
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best to live a decent lifestyle. But all that appeared
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to change after Michael began to express discontent with his
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meagre salary, and behaved rather coldly towards friends and co-workers.
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He also experienced mood swings, often becoming confrontational over minor things,
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a trait he had never exhibited before. His wife Christine
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supported him during this troubled time, but became concerned by
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his sudden change in behaviour, and confided to neighbours that
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she worried over his mental state. Her worries prompted a
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family friend, Barbara Wardman, to talk Michael into turning to
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a local religious gathering, the Christian Fellowship Group, to have
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them help him in his time of need. Even in
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the early 1970s, Osset was a very devout village, with
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much of the populace attending church regularly on Sundays. Wardman
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felt the word of God was the answer. She attributed
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Michael's change in mood to his religious indifference, opening that
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his lack of faith was leading to his employment difficulties
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and struggles at home. So it was with good intentions
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that she brought Michael to the group's meeting house on
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Saturday the 12th of September, and it was through her,
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that he met the group's 21-year-old faith leader, Marie Robinson.
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It was a meeting that was to have massive repercussions.
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Claiming to be able to communicate with God, Marie Robinson
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easily accepted Michael into the group, and he fell almost
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immediately under their sway. Marie described her denomination as being
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a vital front line in God's battle against evil, and
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even claimed to possess miraculous powers, which allowed her to
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exorcise demons from individuals. the group also practiced speaking in tongues,
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prayed long hours into the night, and some reports even
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alleged Marie could summon the Holy Spirit during exorcisms. As
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her charm and favour towards Michael became more obvious, so
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too did his infatuation with her. Almost immediately after joining
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the group, he started to spend a great deal of
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time sequestered in private with Marie, supposedly praying for hours
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on end. But behind the scenes, several of her followers
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suspected her of engaging in a torrid affair with Michael.
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Some reports at the time claimed that Michael would even
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set out just after dinner to go to the congregation,
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even on nights when the group did not meet, and
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join Marie in prayer against the full moon, which she
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believed weakened her special powers. The more time he spent
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in her company, the more rumours continued to run rampant
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that she and Michael were becoming far too inseparable for
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anyone's likings. Christine bravely put up with much of the gossip,
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but by October 1974, she too had had enough. At home,
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Michael's attitude towards her and the family dramatically worsened. His
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mood swings turned violent, and only when he was around
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Marie did he appear to regain some of his former cheerfulness.
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On the evening of the 1st of October 1974, Christine
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joined her husband for what was to become an unforgettable
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night with the group. unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.
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Almost as soon as she arrived, Christine immediately accused Michael
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of having an extramarital affair, and demanded him to confess
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his sin before the group. Instead, he suddenly rose and
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began to scream wildly, and without warning, lunged out to
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attack Marie before everyone's eyes. Several group members helped to
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subdue him, but the look on his face was one
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of terrible rage, and as Marie later described, bestial fury.
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Marie started screaming in tongues and chanting Jesus. Jesus, in
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an effort to calm him, and after nearly an hour
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of being restrained, Michael eventually succumbed. The following day, his
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mood had completely changed, and he claimed to remember nothing
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of the incident. Although wary, Marie forgave and absolved him,
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and reluctantly allowed him to remain in the group. In
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the back of her mind, however, the experience had made
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the young woman fear for her life, and several of
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the group's members closely monitored Michael to ensure he did
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not repeat this violent attack. But his attitude at home
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did not change, as he continued to act aggressively towards
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his wife and family. Neighbours and friends noticed this, and
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alerted the vicar of Osset. After some observation, the vicar concluded,
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that Michael was desperately in need of divine intervention. He
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requested help from the Anglican Church of England for permission
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to perform an exorcism. For this endeavour, the church sent
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Anglican pastor Father Peter Vincent and Methodist minister Reverend Raymond
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Smith to meet with Michael, and they came to the
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same conclusion that an exorcism was indeed necessary. They set
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the date of the session for Saturday 5th October 1974.
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and would hold it at the Church of St. Thames
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in Barnsley. They would be in for one long night.
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At 10pm, the exorcism commenced, and right away, Michael's behaviour
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became evidently violent, shouting in tongues and writhing about in
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almost inhuman convulsions. He exhibited all the commonly described signs
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of demonic possession, scratching, biting, spitting, and uncontrollable fits of rage.
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His
conduct towards the two priests became so dangerous that
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he was forcibly tied to the floor whilst they continued
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to do battle with the demons inside him. By their count,
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Vincent and Smith claimed that at least 40 demons lay
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buried deep in Michael's mind, and each one was going
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to be hard to remove. They named the demons of
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carnal sin, those of blasphemy, bestiality, incest, and even masochism.
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For more than eight exhausting hours, they battled their way
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through his psyche and to the point of near collapse,
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before finally declaring most of the demons expelled the following morning.
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Although he appeared cured, Michael was warned by the priests
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that there remained three terrible demons still in his head,
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and that he had to be careful. Michael appeared thankful,
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and then asked if he could return home. Fathers Vincent
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and Smith reluctantly released him from their charge, and watched
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as he headed home with Christine, unaware that in just
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several hours' time, they would come to regret this decision.
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That same afternoon, just after 12pm, police constable Ian Walker
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responded to a phone call concerning a man creating a
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disturbance near the street where the Taylor residence was located.
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Upon arriving, he found a naked man crouched in the
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fetal position, giggling maniacally and covered in what he thought
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was red paint. Walker then recognised the man as Michael Taylor.
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and noted a faint, odd smell coming from him. Upon
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closer inspection, he realised, to his horror, that he was
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covered not in paint, but in blood. Human blood. Michael
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appeared to be in a dazed state, as though he
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had just awoken from some terrible dream, and when asked,
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he professed that he had no idea where the blood
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came from, but he feared he had harmed someone, and
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worried they were dead. Walker then requested backup, and after
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authorities arrived on the scene, they entered the Taylor home,
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thoroughly unprepared for what they were about to find. In
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what could only be described as a scene from a
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horror film, the police found Christine Taylor lying dead in
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the living room in a pool of her own blood.
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They found that she had been strangled, and that her
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face had been horribly mutilated afterwards. Her eyes had been
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gouged out, her tongue had been ripped from her mouth,
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and the flesh on her face was clawed, and chunks
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of her skin lay scattered all around. The police also
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found the tattered remains of the Taylor family's poodle, having
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also been strangled and then mutilated in a similar fashion
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to Christine, with its limbs ripped out of their sockets.
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When the coroner took a closer look at the body,
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he found there was blood in Christine's esophagus and stomach,
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indicating she had choked on her own blood as she
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lay dying. It did not take long for the police
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to conclude that Michael had committed the deed, surmising that
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after killing his wife and their dog, he had then
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removed his clothing and bathed in their blood, after which
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he left the house. Several neighbours and witnesses claimed he
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ran around screaming, chanting, it's the blood of Satan, before
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eventually returning home. For his part, Michael appeared to remember
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nothing of murdering his wife, despite admitting the blood was
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surely hers, but made no challenge as they placed him
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under arrest. Once word of the gruesome murder leaked out,
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the shocked townsfolk of Osset found themselves at a loss
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for words. Several of the Taylor's friends and neighbours could
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hardly believe someone so close could do such a thing,
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and as the story rocked their town, reporters began flocking
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to Osset to learn what they could of the crime.
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When news correspondents learned that the murder had taken place
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the day after Michael had undergone an exorcism, the story
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took on an even more macabre angle. Newspapers called it
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the devil's work,
and claimed that Mr. Taylor had been
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possessed by a demon, and had murdered his wife at
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its whim. The coroner had even listed the time of
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Christine's death to be 10am that morning, a mere two
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hours after they had left St. Thames Church. Michael was
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sent to the Broadmoor Secure Hospital for the Criminally Insane
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to have his sanity evaluated, but whilst he was detained,
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several people in Osset started pointing their fingers. Many blamed
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the Christian Fellowship group, accusing them of being little better
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than a fanatical cult, which used brainwashing techniques to influence
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Michael's already agitated mental condition. An equal amount of criticism
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was aimed at Marie Robinson. Some believed she had been
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using the group to convince Michael he harboured demons, and
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filled his head with worrisome thoughts. Allegations of their supposed
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affair disgraced her even further. but then another group came
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under fire as the case began its hearings, the priests
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Peter Vincent and Raymond Smith. The media believed that the
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incomplete exorcism, and their inability to completely drive out all
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of Michael's demons, had led to Christine's untimely death. Reverend
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Smith's own wife Margaret, who was present at the exorcism,
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had even warned that something terrible would happen to Christine
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once she left the church. But even then, the exhausted
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priests had allowed them to leave together. Journalists criticized them
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for being inept and felt they had used the exorcism
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to further warp Michael into a frenzied delirium, which resulted
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in the murder. As the trial began on the 17th
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of February, 1975, prosecuting barrister Jeffrey Baker called the case
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so bizarre, it would be rather difficult not to believe
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one was back in the Middle Ages. The prosecution wasted
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no time in presenting the gruesome evidence to the jury,
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stating Michael had been held against his will and forced
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to undergo a harrowing religious frenzy, reached near breakdown, and
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in his exhausted state from the exorcism, was driven to
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kill his wife in a fit of extreme rage. The defence,
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in turn, stated that the guilty parties not present at
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the trial, the Christian Fellowship Group, Marie Robinson and the priests,
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had merely used Michael for their own ends, experimenting on him.
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and making him believe he harboured demons. They ventured that
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the exorcism was another deliberate attempt to keep him under
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their control. The defence attorney famously laid the blame on
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the cult and religion as a whole, and public opinion
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soon turned against the church, fulfilling Michael's head with paranoid thoughts.
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The backlash from the trial made many uncomfortable with the
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thought of exorcisms, and the resulting public outcry forced the
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Anglican Church of England to act. they released an official
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statement that no further exorcisms would ever be conducted by
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any member of the church again, and to this day,
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that has been the case. Perhaps ironically, the prosecution's attempts
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to paint Michael Taylor as a neurotic, mentally unstable man
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at the time of the murder worked to save him.
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In March 1975, the jury returned a not guilty verdict
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by reason of insanity, meaning that Michael would not be
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sent to prison for his crimes. Instead, he was sentenced
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to two years of medical observation at Broadmoor Hospital, to
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be released only upon a final evaluation of his mental state.
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Four years of medical treatment would follow the trial before
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he was released in July 1979 to an understandably wary
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Osset community. Granted only minor visitation rights, Michael was never
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able to reconnect with his children, and his mental state
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began to suffer drastically. In 1981, he was hospitalised for
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the first of what would be four suicide attempts, brought
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about by severe depression and the unenviable infamy of being
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the victim of demonic possession. His name was back in
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the headlines in England when, in July 2005, Michael was
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arrested for making unwanted sexual advances towards an underage girl.
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He was found guilty for this misdemeanor and once again
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was admitted to hospital for three years of psychiatric evaluation
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and treatment. When his second trial took place, old memories
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of his demonic deed resurfaced and made a new generation
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of Osset citizens wary of his presence. In reviewing this case,
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we are left with several unanswered questions. What really happened
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that October morning in 1974? We know from reports what
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took place, but how could a man be driven to
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murder his wife in such a manner? Was it all
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really the result of ongoing mental deterioration, which had been
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brought about by fervent influence and mental conditioning by a
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religious cult? Or was it something far more sinister? Something unthinkable?
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Are there such things as demons, and can they cause
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us to commit such acts of barbarity? And if this
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is the case, who amongst us is most vulnerable? We
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are left with one final haunting thought. Michael Taylor's remaining
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demons were apparently never excised from him. We are to
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question then, whether they ever truly left him, or whether
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they are simply lying dormant, waiting to come forth once
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again and remind us that we might each be carrying
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the devil inside. Bedtime Stories.