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AIBU?

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Original poster

People you had a sixth sense about and were right

481 replies

HarryPotterISreal · 30/07/2018 22:24

I’ve just been reading one of the spooky threads here and a poster talked about someone she got a bad feeling about and some months later was arrested for abuse or something. When someone is arrested who is a ‘pillar of the community’ someone always says ‘I never liked him, I could always tell’.

Do you have a story where you genuinely knew someone was bad news, though everyone else thought they were wonderful? How could you tell and did others eventually see their true colours?

OP posts:
MrStarkIDontFeelSoGood · 31/07/2018 20:10

Some of these have made me go cold

SchadenfreudePersonified · 31/07/2018 20:17

I'm the same. I wonder if early abuse by people who you were supposed to be able to trust screws up any natural instincts you're supposed to have? I went on to be abused further when I was slightly older, by people who everyone else seemed to think were creeps to begin with, but to me seemed perfectly normal - because everyone is creepy, and I was trying to be social.

That pretty much is the same as me Wishing - told as a child that I was being stupid or nasty for wanting to avoid particular people - and worse, my mother apologising for my bad manners etc. Also, when I tried to tell what had happened, being called a liar, accused of making things up and of trying to cause trouble - and that I was filthy-minded.

I suppose that when your natural feelings are dismissed when you are too young to realise that they are valid, you always mistrust your instincts, and then learn to dismiss/ignore them.

rebelrosie12 · 31/07/2018 20:21

I have this feeling about a distant family 'friend'. I feel that he is a paedophile. But with no evidence I can't go accusing him, how devastating would that be if he's not?!

JustWalkAwayRenee · 31/07/2018 20:27

cricketmum84 yes that was Tia Sharp as a pp has said. He was the grandmother's partner I think and had a string of convictions. He also included himself in the investigation and media etc iirc.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 31/07/2018 20:32

Re Jimmy Savile - back in the 70s my folks lived not far from Broadmoor - they were friends with the chief psychiatrist there and were now and then invited to various events, and at one of these they met Jimmy Savile.
I well remember my mother saying at the time how utterly he gave her the creeps, and I don't recall her ever saying that about anyone else. It's probably relevant that she was always hyper sensitive, and at times acutely telepathic.

SciFiFan2015 · 31/07/2018 20:34

Several years ago when buying a new (to us) car I took an instant dislike to the car salesman. Refused to talk to him, didn't want to sit beside him in the test drive or have our children sit near him on the test drive. DH thought I was being ridiculous
A year to eighteen months later DH sends me a news report. The car salesman had raped and murdered a prostitution in his home (while his young son was asleep upstairs) and attempted to murder another prostitute.
There's another one but I can't remember it.

EdgeOf17 · 31/07/2018 20:41

For those referrring to the injustice faced by Christopher Jefferies. I remember I had a gut feeling that he was innocent from the start and was horrified by the media circus.

My DM and DSis were watching the news when he was first accused and were full of 'look at him, he is odd, he did it'. I remember saying that they shouldn't presume and if he is innocent (which I truly believed) his life is over. Thankfully I got the last part wrong as he was instrumental in the Leveson inquiry.

Oh and I genuinely did get Spidey senses from JS as a child of the 70s. I actually thought the accusations had come out much earlier than they did which tells me that I always suspected

RosaMallory · 31/07/2018 20:44

Twombly I'm a really good judge of character too and I'm hf autistic. I think you're right. We watch people to fit in. So, we know when someone is not a good person. Also hf female autistics have too much empathy. So I guess we are able to tune into other people's intentions.

Tistheseason17 · 31/07/2018 20:55

A bit of both.
One colleague did not attend work unexpectedly - turns out he was sent down for child abuse. Prison called.

No idea. All of the team in total shock. Nothing to indicate.

TorviBrightspear · 31/07/2018 20:56

Have to say I've never come across any rumours about Fred Dibnah.

I didn't like JS, but can't actually say he ever gave me the creeps, but I had no idea about Rolf Harris.

RosaMallory · 31/07/2018 21:12

EdgeOf17, I agree, I didn't think he'd done it either. I thought he was just a bit weird. But Jimmy Saville, never liked him. But Rolf Harris, didn't see that he was a predator.

Tistheseason17 · 31/07/2018 21:15

There was loads on line about JS whilst he was alive for at least 10 years - when Justin Theroux investigated....

When posters asked why the police were not involved, the online replies were that JS knew some scary people in high places and that's how he got away with it. People did appear very afraid.

SimonBridges · 31/07/2018 21:31

JS was an open secret.
Richard Herring said that they made joke about JS at the mortuary because they were the rumours, they didn’t believe they would be anything near true because who would know something like that but not do anything about it.

Maybugger · 31/07/2018 21:33

MyBreadIsEggy that was me (name changed since)
I still get the shivers remembering that evening; it's so clear in my mind although it was over 45 years ago. It was so weird him saying he was going to Bristol too and his car was parked outside the (Birmingham) station......

Teachtolive · 31/07/2018 21:34

The one I'm shocked I DIDN'T get a vibe off - I met Ian Watkins. I thought he was a knob, but only in that 'rock star full of himself way - god, if I had known 🤢

brizzledrizzle · 31/07/2018 21:49

I met Ian Watkins. I thought he was a knob, but only in that 'rock star full of himself way - god, if I had known

It just goes to show how scarily convinced some complete bastards can be. It's like that charming man who opens the car door for you, buys you flowers and treats you like you are something special and then you get married and he treats you like a piece of shit.

brizzledrizzle · 31/07/2018 21:49

^ convincing.

BigPinkBall · 31/07/2018 21:52

I was working for a small company and when the sales manager left they employed a middle aged man who just seemed too touchy freely and he didn’t seem to pick up on the vibe in the office, he was trying to do motivational stuff as if we were in a high pressure sales environment when in fact we were selling an expensive niche product that usually involved dealing with clients for 12-18 months before they placed an order, it wasn’t really a product that someone would impulse buy.

He constantly made promises to the owner of how much he was going to sell even though what he was saying was ridiculous and impossible, he was just plucking figures out of the air. I raised my concerns but everyone else said he was just being friendly and I just wasn’t used to his style.

I didn’t like him from the off, he just didn’t seem to understand what we were selling and he was always trying to bluff his way through client meetings and seemed to have no self awareness at all.

In the end I just couldn’t be around him, I couldn’t look at him and he made me feel physically sick, I’ve never had such a strong reaction to anyone so I left for a job that paid a few thousand less and was a lower grade because I just had to get away from him, when I handed in my notice he said I hope you’re not leaving because of me so I told him straight that I was and that I thought that there was something not right about him.

I found out later that when he took his two week holiday the owner picked up his work and discovered he hadn’t been doing any work at all, no sales leads had been called and he had just been “looking busy” for months, the only thing he’d done was take some orders that I’d set up before I’d left, when the owner called him in for a meeting he said he wasn’t surprised they were firing him and he knew he hadn’t done any work, he admitted his last employer had given him a good reference so he would leave.

yaffingale · 31/07/2018 22:05

If I'm unsure about someone I introduce them to my lovely thoroughbred mare. Within minutes she will tell me if they are iffy or not, normally with the 'face' and if she really dislikes them, followed by the teeth. She has not misjudged anyone yet Smile

Teachtolive · 31/07/2018 22:11

yaffingale I have a vision of you standing in a pub, chatting people up with the mare beside you! Horse walks into a bar...

marvellousnightforamooncup · 31/07/2018 22:16

Are people getting confused between Fred Dibna the tall chimneys guy and that weather bloke from Richard and Judy?

FirstOfHerName · 31/07/2018 22:24

I met Ian Watkins. I thought he was a knob, but only in that 'rock star full of himself way - god, if I had known

God, I honestly thought for a moment that you meant H from Steps!

TooManyPaws · 31/07/2018 22:25

There was a series a little while back (can't remember the name) where various experts looked at past cases and showed how the perpetrators had given themselves away. It included body language, speech patterns and behaviour. They went right through all the tiny actions of Mick Philpott at the press conference, as well as Ian Huntley's actions that gave them away.

Perhaps we are picking up on these things unconsciously - sort of an uncanny valley of behaviour in that they are trying to give out a facade that doesn't quite gel and that's what puts us on edge.

peoplearemean · 31/07/2018 22:29

Always trust your 6th sense, it's never let me down.

Recently there has been a situation at my DC's school (can't say what as outing) and to me it sets off alarm bells of the teacher involved. I very delicately broached this and was shot down by the other parents defending them. I am not sure why some people don't have their eyes open.

I have a friend who is an inspector in the police, one of his observations on this is if someone gets your 6th sense going in relation to being a child abuser you're probably right. (I am sure some people would take this to the nth degree but I know what he means).

Givemeallyourcucumber · 31/07/2018 22:30

Haven't read full thread yet.

My neighbor.. I don't know if I am right. But he makes me feel sick when I see him. It's like he is looking into your soul or something. Or like I can see deep into his eyes where all the evil resides?

I don't know what it is (and I have had this feeling before in my life) but I know I don't like him.

I hope I am wrong!