Statement of Father Edwin Burroughs, regarding his claimed demonic possession.
Case Number
0113005
Audio By
Author
Date of Statement
2011-05-30
Date of Event
See Continuity section
Locations
- Oxford
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MAG 20 - Desecrated Host!Desecrated Host Father Edwin Burroughs was arrested in 2009 for the murder and cannibalism of two students. He had been incarcerated in a mental institution, and, when interviewed, had difficulty picking between reality and fiction, not being sure if the interviewer was real or an apparition.
As he tells his story, Edwin occasionally tries to say words such as “Lord” or “Jesus” but is unable to complete them. He explains that “It won’t let me say the words. It won’t let me pray, either.”
Edwin trained as an exorcist for the diocese of Oxford from 2005 to 2009 with Father Harrogate. In his time he performed over 100 exorcisms, although he admits that it is hard to distinguish how many were actual possessions or had natural explanations. He did note that he had once been cursed in Sumerian by an illiterate young man and that on another occasion an old Jamaican man had told him the names of his—Edwin’s—childhood pets.
Whilst working at St. Aldate’s his colleague Father Singh said that one of the students, Bethany O’Connor, was in need of an exorcist as she was not in control of her mind. When they met, Bethany had difficulty separating fact and fiction, almost eating a stone without realising.
Bethany explained that the problem started when she moved to 89 Bullingdon Road. They went to the house, which was separated into flats. In her room, the wallpaper had been hacked away and the word “Mentis” was written on the bare brick. Bethany could not see it. Edwin provided a short blessing and said he would return later.
Later, Father Burroughs called Father Singh to organise a full exorcism, which he agreed to. However, Edwin got a call from The John Radcliffe Hospital, saying that Bethany had been brought in with facial lacerations after a fight with her housemate, caused by her falling into a mirror. Alarmed by this escalation, Edwin went to the hospital.
The police left after taking Bethany’s statement and Edwin attempted the exorcism. Unusually, he got no reaction from Bethany, who eventually said “I’m so sorry, it wants your faith.” She started to convulse and had a brain haemorrhage and died. Edwin was told off by his bishop for his involvement and Anne “Annie” Willett, the nurse who called Edwin, was almost fired.
Over the next few years, Edwin drank more, causing the other priests to worry about him, though they did not do much about it. A couple of years after Bethany’s death he had another call from Annie, saying a builder had been to Hill Top Road and had a scare. Although Edwin told Annie he was not exorcising at present, she said it should just require a blessing and that she did not trust Father Harrogate. Edwin agreed to look into it.
At Hill Top Road, Edwin found the house under construction. When he knocked, the builder answered the door and Edwin explained that he was there to give a blessing. He prayed for protection as Ivo Lensik went into the back garden. As he did, he felt hot and could smell smoke but see no flame. He prayed for protection and something that was not God answered. He felt his lips moving without his control and he said “I am not for you. I am marked.” The heat stopped and Edwin heard the tree being uprooted outside. He excused himself to the builder and left.
This statement ends here but is followed up in MAG 20 - Desecrated Host.
Post-Statement
As this statement is incomplete, Jonathan Sims says he will do a proper follow up when he has the full statement, although he confirms that this matches Ivo Lensik’s case from MAG 8 - Burned Out.
Continuity
- Ivo Lensik’s account suggests the events of this statement took place in 2006 while Father Burroughs’ account suggests they took place in 2009.
- Related Entites:
- The Spiral
- The Web
- The Desolation
- Hill Top Road is heavily tied to The Web and Desolation
- Related Episodes:
- MAG 8 - Burned Out: Anna Kasuma was the nurse who took care of Ivo Lensik. She confirms that she called Father Harrogate to the House on Hill Top Road and that she had seen him do an exorcism in the past.
- MAG 20 - Desecrated Host The statement continues.
- The nurse in this episode is referred to with her maiden name as “Anne Willett”. The name of the cleaner in MAG 114 - Cracked Foundation—another statement connected to Hill Top Road—is Anya Villette. It is unclear if she has any connection to Anne Willett.