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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that Derek Acorah is either mad or bad?

221 replies

thatisall · 15/05/2012 10:54

I've just seen that Derek Acorah is claiming to have been advised by the spirit world that Madeline McCann is no longer alive.

I have an open mind when it comes to psychics but I have heard in the past that Acorah has been discredited on numerous occasions.

To me, this is just a cruel thing to do. I have my own opinions about the tragedy of the disappearance of Madeline and I have often wondered whether her parents would prefer to know if she had sadly passed away, closure? Who knows what it is like to be in their position? But some bloke, claiming that 'Sam' told him she's dead is not closure, it's just cruel IMO.

If this had come from a well respected psychic, I think I might give it more credence (as I said Im open-minded), but it comes from a man who is widely considered a charleton.

Is he a bad man, who is using the grief of parents to make a few quid from the papers or is he crazy enough to think that this really was helpful?

OP posts:

MrsGuyOfGisbourne · 15/05/2012 19:50

I can see why the plice would inervew anyone with any info - they may be trying to pass info to the police that they know from real facts but don't want to say how they know them (eg their ne'er do well son was on the church rooof at the time intending to steal lead when he saw the murder etc....)

seeker · 15/05/2012 19:50

He can't possibly have given the police valuable information unless he knew it by some other means because he does not have psychic powers!

doormat · 15/05/2012 19:57

seeker have you even seen a psychic (probably crap if they charged you) or has someone ever come along and told you something that they could possibly not know....

MardyBra · 15/05/2012 20:00

"has someone ever come along and told you something that they could possibly not know...."

Have you ever heard of a) coincidence b) subterfuge or c) cold reading.

Now give me some PROOF.

MardyBra · 15/05/2012 20:01

Sorry that came across a bit aggressive possibly. Not intended. (just frustrated)

StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes · 15/05/2012 20:03

jaybelleBee we had one like this where I lived, people swore by her Mrs Duck I think she was called. Told my Mums friend that she saw a child with spring flowers in her hands. what no one knew was that she had lost a little girl years ago and when she was buried they put a bunch of spring flowers in her hands. gave me a shiver that did and I am much more on the scetic than believer side.

JayelleBee · 15/05/2012 20:03

doormat, no it was Mary lol!

Oh after my mum's friend's daughter died (tragically) last year my mum had a dream about her where she was saying a word to my mum over and over. My mum told her friend about the dream and the word turned out to be the daughter's password for all her facebook/emails etc. My mum's mate already knew the password but my mum had no idea (obv.), but her dream was very vivid.

doormat · 15/05/2012 20:11

mardy even if i did give you some cases you would still debunk them, which i can totally understand as i used to do this all the time, until i resigned from pi investigations....but there have been 3 that i know of and have had experiences of..out of hundreds...

MardyBra · 15/05/2012 20:18

Maybe the three are the genuine coincidences. Out of hundreds and hundreds of predictions, then 3 could happen to be correct. The odds sound about right.

It's a bit like when you bump into someone you know in an obscure part of the world - it's happened to me a couple of times. You think it's a freaky event, but when you analyse it, of all the people you know then it's bound to happen at some point or other - and it's usually in a tourist destination or an airport or something, which makes the odds higher.

Sorry but I'm going to have to agree to disagree with you I think doormat.

MrsGuyOfGisbourne · 15/05/2012 20:19

I see in the Mail online he has said he will go to the aprtment she disappeared from in Portugal. He has been asked why he waited for ?seven? years since the disappearance to pipe up. Apparently, completely coincidentally he is about to embark on a theatre tour...

pumpkinsweetie · 15/05/2012 20:20

I used to really believe in Derek Ackora,
I thought he got most stuff right on his show and my mum went to watch him in our local area.
Of course no physcic can get everything right, there is human error in everything.
He is probably right where madeleine is concerned as i dont believe there is much of a chance of her being alive all these years and i don't really think they need a phsycic to tell them that.
I dont see why the family are upset with it as im sure they have looked at every avenue and even wondered themselves whether she is dead.
Derek was very stupid for going to papers though as of course nothing can be said about the mcanns that isnt in there favour.
Anything said against them people are sued or comments on here are deleted.
I would like to ask derek what he thinks happened to her as this is about maddie not her parents.
I for one dont believe she was abducted but im hoping whatever happened that night will one day be found out by the police.

MardyBra · 15/05/2012 20:20

"completely coincidentally he is about to embark on a theatre tour..."

doormat · 15/05/2012 20:24

yes mardy lol and i agree he is a nasty piece of work to do this as he is embarking on a tour..absolutely disgusting imo

pumpkinpie lovely post..i hope so too xxx

seeker · 15/05/2012 20:26

It's very convenient, this "the powers vanish when money ia involved" line, isn't it? Explains why nobody has ever claimed James randi's million bucks.

Of course a genuine psychic could easily win it and give the money to charity......

SnakePlisskensMum · 15/05/2012 20:43

I went to see him live too. We were a group of friends who fancied a giggle, we didn't take it seriously. Which was a good job as he picked me out of the audience and kept bombarding me with useless facts and got very upset when I said that he had got everything completely wrong! He's a showman, and a poor one at that.

doormat · 15/05/2012 20:53

seeker that imo..and what i percieve of precognition and clairovoyant abilities...your opinion is your own...

MrsGuyOfGisbourne · 15/05/2012 20:56

Once went to a 'psychic fair' and just sat and smiled at the psychic. She kept asking questions, i just smiled and said I was there to listen, not to speak. She was very riled = you need some feedback to do cold reading.

doormat · 15/05/2012 21:00

mrsguy oh dont go there lol...these are a buzz of bullshitters....ppl should actually flush their money down the loo..it is more exciting lol

Bagpusstree · 15/05/2012 21:01

I dont see why the family are upset with it as im sure they have looked at every avenue and even wondered themselves whether she is dead.

Really? You don't see why it might upset them? Of course they must have considered she is dead, but I imagine the only thing that helps them to get up every day is holding on to a shred of hope that maybe she isn't. This is their daughter, not a cat that has gone missing..... He has no right to try and gain publicity for himself over a poor little girls disappearance.

Hopefully what Acorah has said won't upset them, because they too also know he is an utter twunt.

JayelleBee · 15/05/2012 21:04

YANBU

....and another thing. If you were someone who thought you had a genuine gift and message for the McCanns. If you were halfway decent you would contact them yourselves, in private. You wouldn't go straight to the press.

He's a cunt.

NunOnTheRun · 15/05/2012 21:09

Mad AND bad covers it quite nicely OP. Accorah's exploitation of gullible [adult] Michael Jackson fans [via his notoriously godawful MJ 'seance'] is one thing - but messing with the emotions of parents of a missing child is inexcusable. .

Nobhead · 15/05/2012 21:13

Me and DH just watched Most Farted on you tube- piss funny.

QueenofPlaids · 15/05/2012 21:15

He is undoubtedly one of the worst woo-peddlers currently practicing IMO and that's based on limited exposure because I avoid these things in general.

My DP has seen him I've through volunteering and said it was one of the most uncomfortable & exploitative shows he'd ever seen.

perplexedpirate · 15/05/2012 21:16

I REALLY fucking hate these manipulative charlatan scumbags. Every last, lying one of them make me sick.
Acorah announcing his unwanted opinion about the fate of a missing child, and expressing it as fact, is a cruel and evil thing to do, but people like him make good money week in, week out, playing cruel and evil tricks on the paying public.
I really hope this stops people falling for so called psychics. It won't be before time.

(this is a pet hate of mine. Can you tell? )

JayelleBee · 15/05/2012 21:19

Wouldn't it just be great if she turned up alive in the near future? Obv. cos she'd be alive, but also great to watch him splutter his way round that one.

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