Vicar accused of threatening herself

[jrobertson]

www.upi.com - - 13-Oct-08

Vicar accused of threatening herself (http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/10/13/Vicar_accused_of_threatening_herself/UPI-91961223931794/)


LONDON, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- British authorities say a vicar stands accused of allegedly sending herself a dead hedgehog and dog feces to prove herself a crime victim. The Rev. Janet Magee, 62, a Methodist minister, also claimed she was the victim of threatening phone calls and hate mail, which police determined she allegedly made and sent herself, the Daily Mail reported Monday.

Police reached their conclusions after secretly installing a closed circuit television camera in her home, the Mail reported, noting Magee is in on trial in Grimsby Crown Court for making false claims to police.

Magee, who allegedly tried to portray the hedgehog, dog feces, phone calls and hate mail as the work of people in her church, has been suspended as minister in charge of seven parishes on the Brigg and Barton-upon-Humbler Methodist Circuit, the Mail reported, noting Magee has pleaded innocent.
"Whoever set me up has done it brilliantly," Magee said. "I take my hat off to them."

[kebea41]

What a weird and bizarre thing to do this is one woman that has gone too far with the attention seeking,,

[Isis]

This is what my NFH says that I do, send the stuff to myself and also scratch/spit on my own car.

If it is untrue, the poor woman I know just how she feels.

[Annabel]

i dont understand what she is trying to achieve from this, there doesnt seem to be a particular person or persons that she is accusing...very odd.

[jrobertson]

www.telegraph.co.uk (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) - Telegraph.co.uk - 13-Oct-08
A Methodist minister waged a fake hate campaign against herself after falling out with her church's leadership, a jury heard. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3191466/Methodist-minister-faked-hate-campaign-against-herself--court-told.html)


By Paul Stokes
Last Updated: 7:53PM BST 13 Oct 2008

Rev Janet Magee, 62, claimed she was the victim of sinister telephone calls, poison pen letter and had a dead hedgehog and dog excrement posted through her letterbox.

Her complaints to police led to the arrest of Roger Chessell, a Methodist circuit steward, who had openly accused her of "working with or for Satan."

He was interviewed at length and his house was searched before he was released without charge, Grimsby Crown Court heard.

Rev Magee was arrested after police secretly installed a CCTV camera at her home which proved she could not have received the hedgehog on the date she claimed.

Forensic evidence is also said to have proved she had written some of the letters and a mobile phone found in her bedroom had been used to call her landline.

Rev Magee, of Brigg, Lincs, denies carrying out a series of acts to pervert the course of justice by falsely representing that she was a crime victim.

She is currently suspended as minister in charge of seven churches on the Brigg and Barton-on-Humber Methodist circuit in Lincolnshire.

Simon Waley, prosecuting, said certain members of the church leadership including Mr Chessell viewed her as "hard to work with" and that she was "not a team player".

She had wanted to stay on after an initial three year term and when she was not offered an extension called a vote of the whole congregation which led to her being given a further three year term.

Circuit stewards Mr Chessell and Mary Knaggs resigned over the issue in November 2004.

About this time Rev Magee first reported to police that she had been receiving anonymous letters claiming the author was unhappy at her re-election and they were "going to get her out and nobody liked her".

She also reported silent phone calls to the police and later complained of further hate mail being sent.

Early last year she claimed the letters had got worse, had been constructed out of newspaper and magazine cuttings, and said the letters referred to private information which few knew, including that she was adopted.

Mr Waley said a notice was read out at all Methodist churches in the area appealing for information to uncover the mystery writer of a letter sent to some of them in which she was referred to as a "whore".

Police installed CCTV cameras at her home then took them out after three weeks after she told people about the security protection.

They later covertly installed another CCTV at the vicar's home and when she returned from a trip to the US she claimed to have received a hand-delivered letter containing pieces of dog dirt.

The footage was checked by officers but nobody was found making a suspicious delivery.

After she became a suspect, Rev Magee claimed a dead hedgehog had been hand-delivered accompanied by a note reading: "Dead like you will be soon. I told you the police could never catch me."

She was arrested and when her home was searched a sealed white envelope was found containing cuttings from the Daily Mail which she had delivered at weekends.
Rev Magee denied being the author of the hate mail and said she had been "playing at policemen" by compiling threatening letters from newspaper cuttings and ringing her own telephone.

The hearing continues.

[Beth]

sounds like she has got some sort of Munchausen syndrome by proxy thing going on :(

[Isis]

sounds like she has got some sort of Munchausen syndrome by proxy thing going on :(


I hope no one here thinks that I have that problem :( as Cods & Co tell people that I am doing it to myself, as if.

[Lady Penelope]

:) I'm sure no one does Isis.

However they are some or should I say, many deluded serial complainers around unfortunately.

[Planet 24]

Many innocent victims of NFH are accused of doing it to themselves by nfh and their hangers on but the police who often do get things wrong crimewise are usually pretty good at sussing the wheat from the chaff.

Of course when NFH are found to make their false accusations they are treading on very thin ice. People are always quick to point the finger but not so speedy in their retractions...unless they are taken to law of course.;)

As for the Vicar - very sad - obviously attention seeking to the enth degree and defintely along the lines of Munchhausen's Syndrome, but incredibly dangerous too.
What if someone had been jailed because of her self-styled vendetta?