The article below was published in the Sunday Express on 25th May 2003. Now for those that are not aware, this article completely misrepresents pagan and witches in general.

I have umm'd and ahh'd over whether to post the article here as the upset in amongst the pagan communities, but I live in Sheffield, I am part of that community and it upsets me to see that supposedly intelligent people are sensationlising and mis leading the general public in ushc a way.

This was posted on the BristolPagansMootUK Yahoo Group:


Outrage as violent criminals get witchcraft lessons

<picture of Mike Pearse with in large type next to it>

The Pagan Priest sent in to comfort jailed killers.
<sub-heading under picture>

SPELL IN PRISON: Mike Pearse will offer guidance to high-security inmates who claim to be witches and pagan worshippers.
By David Paul

A Pagan priest has been hired by the Home Office to give witchcraft lessons to killers and rapists in jail.
Moors murderer Ian Brady is among those who will be able to learn about pagan rituals such as worshipping the sun while dancing naked around a campfire.
<picture opposite showing Brady superimposed against Ashover Hospital>

The decision caused outrage last night when former prisons minister Ann Widdecombe called it "silly nonsense".
Pagan priest Mike Pearse was hired by prison bosses after more than 40 inmates held in jails and maximum-security hospitals across the country claimed in a survey of religious beliefs that they were pagan worshippers.
Mr Pearse, 48, who became a pagan 12 years ago, said: "If anyone in prison is on suicide watch or wants to see a chaplain it falls under my boundaries, It's about more than a cosy chat. Some of the encounters may be harrowing. I could be dealing with anybody who has committed any type of crime so I have to be non-judgmental and non- assumptive."
Mr Pearse, from Waterloo, Liverpool believes paganism is too often confused with black magic.
He says it is a religion based on the workings of nature, with roots going back many years before Christ.
"Paganism seems honest and open to me" he said", he said. "But I get mixed reactions from people about my faith. There is a lot of bigotry born out of misunderstanding."
Mr Pearse's duties will include visiting inmates at the Ashworth maximum-security hospital in Merseyside, where Brady is held, Miss Widdecombe said yesterday. "It's a load of nonsense. When I was prisons minister I said we had to provide pastoral care for prisoners worshipping all the major religions - Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu.
But the idea having to cater for paganism is going too far. It's a silly decision. Where do you stop? What happens when an inmate claims he's a full-blown satanist?"
Paganism is the fastest-growing religion in the Western world. There are believed to be 10,000 witches in Britain alone.
Last night the Home Office confirmed Mr Pearse's appointment. A spokesman said: "Paganism is a recognised faith and a prisoner is entitled to see a representative of that faith.
The prison service uses a number of unpaid countrywide religious advisers."
Among pagan customs are the obligation to stay faithful to a spouse for only a year and a day. After that a pagan is free to take other sexual partners.
On Hallowe'en night pagans attempt to make contact with deceased loved ones by lighting fires and putting their faces in the rising smoke.

<Picture of Ann Widdecombe> with sub heading
ANGER: Ann Widdecombe said the move was 'silly'>

End of article.

The stupid and ignorant comments that are made in that article are why many people fear expressing their beliefs. Why people see fit to harras and belittle the pagan communities. Ho hum :(

Moon Maiden

Originally posted by "Moon Maiden"

The article below was published in the Sunday Express on 25th May 2003. Now for those that are not aware, this article completely misrepresents pagan and witches in general.

I have umm'd and ahh'd over whether to post the article here as the upset in amongst the pagan communities, but I live in Sheffield, I am part of that community and it upsets me to see that supposedly intelligent people are sensationlising and mis leading the general public in ushc a way.

This was posted on the BristolPagansMootUK Yahoo Group:


Outrage as violent criminals get witchcraft lessons

<picture of Mike Pearse with in large type next to it>

The Pagan Priest sent in to comfort jailed killers.
<sub-heading under picture>

SPELL IN PRISON: Mike Pearse will offer guidance to high-security inmates who claim to be witches and pagan worshippers.
By David Paul

A Pagan priest has been hired by the Home Office to give witchcraft lessons to killers and rapists in jail.
Moors murderer Ian Brady is among those who will be able to learn about pagan rituals such as worshipping the sun while dancing naked around a campfire.
<picture opposite showing Brady superimposed against Ashover Hospital>

The decision caused outrage last night when former prisons minister Ann Widdecombe called it "silly nonsense".
Pagan priest Mike Pearse was hired by prison bosses after more than 40 inmates held in jails and maximum-security hospitals across the country claimed in a survey of religious beliefs that they were pagan worshippers.
Mr Pearse, 48, who became a pagan 12 years ago, said: "If anyone in prison is on suicide watch or wants to see a chaplain it falls under my boundaries, It's about more than a cosy chat. Some of the encounters may be harrowing. I could be dealing with anybody who has committed any type of crime so I have to be non-judgmental and non- assumptive."
Mr Pearse, from Waterloo, Liverpool believes paganism is too often confused with black magic.
He says it is a religion based on the workings of nature, with roots going back many years before Christ.
"Paganism seems honest and open to me" he said", he said. "But I get mixed reactions from people about my faith. There is a lot of bigotry born out of misunderstanding."
Mr Pearse's duties will include visiting inmates at the Ashworth maximum-security hospital in Merseyside, where Brady is held, Miss Widdecombe said yesterday. "It's a load of nonsense. When I was prisons minister I said we had to provide pastoral care for prisoners worshipping all the major religions - Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu.
But the idea having to cater for paganism is going too far. It's a silly decision. Where do you stop? What happens when an inmate claims he's a full-blown satanist?"
Paganism is the fastest-growing religion in the Western world. There are believed to be 10,000 witches in Britain alone.
Last night the Home Office confirmed Mr Pearse's appointment. A spokesman said: "Paganism is a recognised faith and a prisoner is entitled to see a representative of that faith.
The prison service uses a number of unpaid countrywide religious advisers."
Among pagan customs are the obligation to stay faithful to a spouse for only a year and a day. After that a pagan is free to take other sexual partners.
On Hallowe'en night pagans attempt to make contact with deceased loved ones by lighting fires and putting their faces in the rising smoke.

<Picture of Ann Widdecombe> with sub heading
ANGER: Ann Widdecombe said the move was 'silly'>

End of article.

The stupid and ignorant comments that are made in that article are why many people fear expressing their beliefs. Why people see fit to harras and belittle the pagan communities. Ho hum :(

Moon Maiden
Tis a bit harsh IMHO.
Bhuddism is a recognised faith (although it has no god), would the prison not allow inmates to practice this and see a representative of this faith?

Well apparently Bhuddism is included in the recognised faiths for inmates, now paganism is but not without protests from those that prefer a more medaevil outlook on the craft.

The pagan federation offer local and voluntary services for pagan's in hospital who are more prone to be harrassed than helped by the clergy who work there. Problem is that although the Prison service recognised the rights for Pagan inmates after a survey, when the census came in Pagan's and any specific pagan path were lumped in with 'other religions'.

Fight goes on or should that be struggle?

Moon Maiden

I think part of the problem lies with the words used here. For most people a witch is still the person in your avatar, Moon Maiden, hook nose, broomstick, black cat and cauldron. The witches I have met tend towards the hippy end of the spectrum and have all been relatively pleasant people.

Likewise paganism conjures images of savages feasting on bones of virgins eviscerated on altars in stone circles. Now the one thing we know about the druids is that they did a lot of killing, but paganism seems to be to be nature worship, and a quite different pursuit involved in shamanism, healing, vegetable and animal husbandry the weather etc.

To what degree nature can be influenced is arguable, but the fact remains until Witches and Pagans can either expunge the collective imagination or come up with alternative names, the myopic press corps will continue to serve up gems like that one.

Don't see what all the fuss is about, people in prison shouldn't be pampered and every whim catered for, prison is about paying for crimes commited and serving time.

There shouldn't be any privileges to someone who is paying their debt to society, all requests for concession's like these should be stopped forthwith.

The fuss is the comments made my Ms Widdecombe, and the misleading information given by the Express as to what witches do.

I have to say I agree with you on the privlidges front there Halvan, summer camp for inamtes some of these prisons it seems.

I think it is good that religious beliefs are being catered for , but whilst this article mentions all the hocus pocus, it doesn't mention that not all pagans practise witchcraft or magick for that matter.

Moon Maiden