Suicide leap woman 'told she was possessed'
Pastor Dale Morgan
Suicide leap woman 'told she was possessed'*
By Henry Samuel in Paris
Last Updated: 1:21am BST 15/09/2007
A British woman threw herself to her death in Paris after two French
"mediums" convinced her that she was possessed by evil spirits, a court
has heard.
Anne Marie Hateley, 31, a translator from Birmingham, died after jumping
from an apartment window several floors up, half an hour after phoning a
friend in a "catastrophic state" complaining that she was hearing
"voices" and "completely bewitched".
Miss Hateley, who also claimed in her final hours to be plagued by
hallucinations and that she was the victim of a sect that had fleeced
her of her savings, committed suicide on Aug 26, 2000.
The circumstances surrounding her death have only now come to the
attention of the French courts alongside related investigations into the
alleged activities of the mediums. The two men, Grégory Selo and Laurent
Sousa, have appeared in court to face the charge of "non-assistance of a
person in danger", which they deny.
Miss Hateley moved to France in the late 1990s and soon married. She was
then said to have suffered depression, according to a French lawyer,
Lynn Hawary, representing her parents.
She saw an advert for a medium in a newspaper and made contact with
Selo, aged 25 at the time and a convicted drug dealer who called himself
"Angel of Gods".
"He gave her advice over the phone, told her to lie down to energise
herself and she kept giving money," said Mrs Hawary.
"Little by little she became more fragile. He was aware of this, and
exploited her weakness to take money. She borrowed from everyone - her
friends, family, from work."
She spent 10,000 euros (Ł6,800) - including all her savings - over a
six-month period, trying to rid herself of her bedevilment.
A friend said she had "fallen" for Selo and had even spoken of wedding
plans. He denies any romantic ties.
Selo's colleague Sousa, 34, also took part in sessions with Miss
Hateley, the court was told. But when she could no longer afford their
"services" both men coldly rejected her, according to another friend.
Lawyers for the accused argued they were not physically present to save
her when she jumped to her death. The pair, along with another two
mediums, also faced charges of "swindling" and "abuse of weakness".
Miss Hateley's parents, Edward and Carol, who live in Sutton Coldfield,
West Midlands, were not present in court. It took them several months to
piece together what had driven their daughter to despair, by reading her
emails and bank bills and speaking to her friends.
Miss Hateley was not the group's only alleged victim. Police sources
alleged that the men had swindled "thousands" of people before their
company was closed down.
The case continues.