Enter the Incognito Fantasist

  

Farrant's alleged third "wife" calls herself "Della." An incognito fantasist who merely pretends to be his wife, she first entered the public psyché around the same time that Farrant's son, Jamie, whom he had not seen for forty odd years made a sudden appearance out of the blue. "Della" offered images of the pop-singer Shakira as herself, and remained icognito as one fantasy melded into another. She claimed to be a Roman Catholic while insinuating herself across the internet into as many occult sites with a penchant for ceremonial magic that she could find. Nobody had heard her for the simple reason that the names and images she provided of herself were all false.

Then she adopted the curriculum vitae of Christine Moloney and used that as a template. Christine Moloney is a female of a similar age to "Della" with a BA in Graphic Design Communicaton and a declared interest in theology, esoterica (and associated genres) plus ancient history. Her identity in all but name was hijacked by "Della."

She claims to have married David Farrant at Hallowe'en in 2011, but there is no record at the Public Records Office for births, marriages and deaths of a "Della Maria Vallicrus" or a "Della Escarti" (the latter being the name given by her on a fake wedding notice published on the internet prior to her adopting the nomenclature "Della Farrant") of any marriage having taken place. But there is a record of Christine Moloney marrying Isaac Ben Jacob at Hallowe'en 2011. Isaac Ben Jacob found it necessary to issue a statement the following year which confirmed: "We do not have any relation or contact with Della and David Farrant, and we don't want to be associated with these two persons in any way, shape or form, because they have a sulfurous past, they have a reputation of being Satanists, and they are acquainted with people like Jean-Paul Bourre." 

David Farrant had married his second wife, Colette Gee aka Colette Sully, at Wood Green Registry Office on 21 June 1979. They remained together, on and off, until at least the mid-1980s. Unlike other females, Colette Gee (or Sully) was totally complicit in Farrant's phoney witchcraft, theatrical Satanism, deceitful behaviour and malicious vendettas. Obviously aware of his charlatanry, she colluded with Farrant in all his publicity stunts. 

"Della Vallicrus" appeared out of nowhere with an almighty axe to grind on Farrant's behalf in 2010. She was instantly anti-Seán Manchester, and claimed to have "inherited" papers from someone who knew a lot about the goings-on in and around Highgate in the early 1970s. Like Colette Gee/Sully, "Della" is more than willing to involve herself in Farrant's self-promoting schemes. Below is the only public image of "Della" (taken by a Hampstead & Highgate Express photographer) which appeared in the newspaper on 31 October 2013. "Della" first came onto the scene on 31 October 2010. She claimed to have married David Farrant on 31 October 2011. The picture published in the Ham & High reveals her face, albeit wearing sunglasses with an animal fur draped around her shoulders. It is the only photograph of "Della Farrant" to have become available in the public domain.

Despite Farrant protesting many times that he quit witchcraft in 1982 on the grounds that he "outgrew" it, he and "Della" publicly claimed to have had a witchcraft wedding, including a "handfasting" in his bedsit. They are not, of course, legally married. Three years later, in October 2014, she wrote a slim volume titled Haunted Highgate where the Highgate Vampire case, among other less interesting accounts, is included. It is this aspect of the work published by The History Press in their "Haunted" series of paperbacks on 6 October 2014 that we shall examine.

"Della Farrant" ventured through the snow on 21 December 2010 to spend some of her time with David Farrant at his bedsit in London's Muswell Hill Road from where he distributes his voluminous anti-Bishop Seán Manchester vitriol. Farrant, now in his seventies, described "Della" as "a very attractive lady aged about 30 with intent brown eyes, and dark hair that flowed down her back," adding, "I knew she’d been touch with certain people." Whoever these people are with whom she had been in touch, it certainly wasn't Seán Manchester or any of his colleagues because she instantly recoils at the very idea of meeting him and becomes extremely defensive. Her claims of impartiality and being a Roman Catholic had attracted the attention of a devout Christian who was less than convinced. He informed Seán Manchester. Within a matter of days after visiting Farrant for the first time she was attacking Seán Manchester on public forums, and accepting Farrant's word above all else. Prior to around Hallowe'en 2010, when she began commenting on the Supernatural World forum, however, absolutely nobody had ever heard of "Della Maria Vallicrus" because the name belongs to someone who likes to remain incognito.

She liked to remind everyone of her supposed "Roman Catholic" credentials. She appeared on the surface to paint a picture of herself as being traditionally Roman Catholic when she is anything but traditionalist or indeed a Catholic. Heresy is never far from her lips, as will be revealed, and, despite giving her religion as "Roman Catholic" on Facebook, she does not have a single Roman Catholic Facebook friend. In fact, none of her friends are Christian of any of denomination. David Farrant and his Facebook friends make up most of them, and her declared interests, along with more general topics, embrace "Kabbalah, Judaism, Mediumship, Psychology, Ghosts and the Paranormal." This should come as no surprise to anyone who knows the true identity of "Della Farrant," or, at least, the person adopting that persona in photographs where she is careful to keep her back to the camera so her face cannot be seen when not wearing a full face mask with full-length fancy dress costume. 

So who is this person who, according to David Farrant, "listened sympathetically when she realised things were not quite as they had been portrayed by some others claiming to have had an interest in that case." That "case" being Farrant's personal obsession out of which he has succeeded in carving a notoriety based on nothing more than his ruthless exploitation of Seán Manchester's investigation, and the latter's subsequent book when the case was closed, about the supernatural occurrences at Highgate Cemetery. Ten days after them meeting in person, "Della" visited Farrant again on 31 December 2010. Her interest on this occasion was in his pseudo-occultism. 

"This time she brought round some very intriguing letters and photographs relating to the Black Magical activities that took place in and around Highgate and other nearby parts of north London spanning over a ten year period from the late 1960s onwards." He unsurprisingly overlooks mentioning that he was charged and convicted at the Old Bailey for black magic activities in and around Highgate Cemetery. Farrant continues: "One particular thing that concerned her was her set of photographs relating to HC taken in 1971. We spent some time discussing the meaning of various glyphs and symbols, and their significance – as well as the identities of other people that she felt were definately connected with the use of Highgate Cemetery at the time. One of these people apparently was also making ‘nocturnal visits’ to Kensal Green cemetery in North London, with his friend who was by profession a taxidermist."

By a curious coincidence, 1971 is the year when Farrant claims (in an article published by New Witchcraft magazine) to have summoned a satanic entity with a naked female assistant from whom he withdrew blood for the purpose of the ritual. This supposedly took place at Highgate Cemetery in September 1971. "Della" apparently asked for Farrant's word that he "would not release any material." Yet he could apparently make mention of the same material on his blog. She was playing Farrant's game, and he was seemingly playing hers.

How could an approximately thirty-year-old London-based female born ten years after the events themselves be privy to confidential material which pertains to people and events in the Highgate Cemetery case? Does she, in fact, possess anything of interest or worth? Or is she merely attempting to catch a ride on the coat-tails of Seán Manchester and his antagonist? Many people who were growing aware of this woman definitely thought so.

When "Della" visited Farrant on a third occasion at the end of January 2011 and stayed the night, he could barely contain himself and was blogging about it before she had barely got out of the door: "She told me little about herself, but I learned that she was from Kensington but recently moved to Knightsbridge, where she now had her own apartment and a good job as an Interior Designer. She was not attached to anyone now, she told me, but like myself, she had encountered the turmoil in one or two past relationships." Once again Highgate was discussed: "Absorbed in old Press reports we again spoke about the Highgate ‘vampire’ case, and I showed her other articles about other people who claimed that they had been involved. She read many meticulously, and some private letters I showed her about the case which highly amused her."

Farrant must have been talking about himself because he claims to have been involved when, in fact, all he did was interlope and hop on a perceived bandwagon for the self-aggrandising purpose of his own publicity. Whoever sent him private correspondence must be delighted he shared it with a stranger just to impress her. "Della" allegedly decided to accept Farrant's offer to stay the night, which he could not restrain himself from publishing on the internet for all to read: "She was in bed and although all covered the sheet revealed that she had bare shoulders." Already this is beginning to sound more than a little fraudulent, and well it might. "Della," of course, has never lived in Knightsbridge or Kensington and, according to one person who was in contact with her prior to all this, she lived in circumstances every bit as desperate as Farrant's in a less than salubrious part of London.

Three weeks earlier on the Supernatural World forum, "Della" attempted to offer an explanation as to how she is suddenly in possession of material about matters that occurred well before she was born: "This is largely to answer the allegations by VRS that I am ‘playing a dangerous game’ – it would be very naïve to assume that with all the people involved in the Highgate situation that there are not children, relatives, friends and partners extant who have knowledge of various aspects of the events that were going on at the time. I am not willing to talk publicly about who I am related to or know in connection with the original events, and why I have a personal interest in the case. If anyone reading this was in my peculiar position, I assure you, you would feel the same." 

Would they run to the man convicted of crimes of a satanic nature at Highgate Cemetery, however, to share that material with him, and then allow him to publish that fact on the internet? "Della" quite obviously is playing a dangerous game; something she acknowledged in her next statement: "The dark side of occult magic underpins any serious discussion about many aspects of what happened back then. By default there are certain matters that it would be dangerous to discuss openly pertaining to this, not least because the people who were most centrally involved may not all still be around, but their successors are still very much active in the ‘field.’ I am referring here specifically to ‘Satanic’ activity focused in the Highgate area and in other areas of the south east of England subsequent to their decision to stop using Highgate Cemetery."

"Della" continues: "There really was no one else I could talk to about this. Certainly not Seán Manchester who is entirely on the periphery of the matters I wanted validating and does not feature heavily. This may give some indication as to the gravity of matters I am referring to." Indeed, it does. Yet she can apparently only talk about matters involving black magic outrages at Highgate Cemetery and elsewhere with a man who sought sensationalist publicity which led to him being branded a black magician by the law courts and the mass media; a man, moreover, who was imprisoned for black magic crimes which included tomb desecration and vandalism. Among the not insubstantial evidence against Farrant were photographs he had taken of his naked girlfriend, Martine de Sacy, posing in front of satanic markings on the floor of a Highgate mausoleum in 1971. Then there were the black magic effigies sent to police witnesses in another man's case (a self-proclaimed Satanist who was later convicted of sexual assault on a minor); something Farrant does not even try to deny. Most people would surely regard David Farrant as the one person you would not want to share sensitive material of the sort alluded to by "Della"? But share it she apparently did with the ex-convict with a history of diabolical activities in Highgate.

In mid-January, "Della" posted on the Supernatural World forum that she is "someone who has no choice but to believe in reincarnation." This is by no means the first time she has confessed to beliefs which, by her own admission, are heretical to not only Roman Catholics but all Christians. On the same forum two days later she brazenly posted: "OSG and VRS being interchangeable and all that although apparently not officially, as we all know. If their own invented dogma allows for the possibility of corporeal vampires, then frankly it is not worth the proverbial paper." There is no connection at all between Ordo Sancti Graal and the Vampire Research Society apart from Seán Manchester. People of any religion or none comprise the VRS. Those within the OSG are members of the Catholic Faith and would want to adhere to traditional orthodoxy which excludes all heresy. None of the Order's doctrine is "invented" and all of it stems from the Bible and teachings of the Early Church Fathers.  

Again, on the Supernatural World forum she went on the attack: "I am not interested in being given lectures about my faith by people entirely unqualified to do so, who are also intricately involved with someone who made up their own religion because they chose to pick and choose the parts of Roman Catholicism which did not suit their lifestyle or supposed beliefs." It must, of course, be asked how someone who believes in reincarnation (an essentially Bhuddist and Hindu philosophy) is qualified to lecture anyone about Christianity? "Della" quite obviously picks and chooses those bits of various religions and philosophies which suit her, and to appease her belief in spiritualism, witchcraft, paganism and various other aspects of the occult. The practice of any of these is forbidden in scripture by all mainstream Christian churches. But it gets worse, as the facts, or possibly David Farrant's fevered imagination, reveal. "Della Vallicrus" invited him to her non-existent "Knightsbridge flat" in February 2011 about which occasion his blog positively explodes with enthusiasm: 

"Her own bedroom was dominated by a large Edwardian brass bed, and another marble fireplace, this one complete with two busts, one of a Greek god adorned with grapes, and another gilt mirror over the mantle." 

It would seem "Della's" pretend home is devoid of anything remotely Christian, much less Catholic. Farrant continues: 

"This time she brought things round again to asking me about the potential of some magical ceremonies.  I reminded her that I was no longer involved; but still she still wanted to question me. ... She had a personal reason for asking as she had come across others and she wanted to compare what I had practiced, and what she had since found out about, and her own formed views on High Magic." 

Perhaps not the sort of conversation one might expect from someone so quick to berate others for not belonging to the modern Roman Catholic Church? Things did not improve that night with one thing leading to another, as Farrant could not wait to inform all and sundry via his blog: 

"We moved to the sofa, and Della suggested that as we were being ‘wicked smokers’ and talking about ‘wicked things’ we may as well drink something more exciting, it being the weekend after all. She fetched one of the decanters from the marble half table which abutted one of the walls, along with a couple of old fashioned shaped glasses and some sugar cubes, and asked me if I would like some absinthe. The lit sugar cubes she placed on the slotted spoon seemed to flame violet as she prepared the drinks in a way that was quite fascinating to watch, and before long our conversation had got even more animated than usual. It was not something I would usually feel comfortable doing, but in this strange sense of isolation and intimacy, the combination of absinthe and agreeable company seemed to make everything around me easier and even more fluid."

Absinthe is a dangerously addictive psycho-active drug derived from an alcoholic beverage (75% alcohol) with a distinctive bitter taste caused by wormwood. It is mixed with distilled spirit, such as brandy, and other herbs and spices. In the nineteenth century, the yellowish-green drink became popular in Europe, particularly France, and in American cities. Its hallucinogenic properties made it chic among poets, writers, and artists, prompting one scholar to label it "the cocaine of the nineteenth century." In the early-twentieth century, absinthe was widely banned because of fears that it severely impaired the physical and mental health of its users, as well as the morality and social fabric of nations. Absinthe is clearly something an upstanding Roman Catholic [sic] like "Della" has no problem indulging in. She also lists on Facebook drug-inspired groups such as Pink Floyd and The Doors as her favourite musicians and composers.

On the matter of events at Highgate Cemetery a decade before she was born, "Della" had this to say on the Supernatural World forum: "I have my own reasons for deciding what really happened. I really have no choice but to believe them as I know them to be fact." What possible reasons did she have for believing something told her by a man the courts branded as a compulsive liar? How could she possibly know "them" to be "fact" when she was not present or even alive at the time of them happening? She is clearly under the influence of David Farrant. 

  

"Della" describes David Farrant as a "poster boy."

On his sixty-fifth birthday (23 January 2011), David Farrant posted the following hypocritical falsehood: "Genuine Roman Catholics are one thing (and personally I am not opposed to that religion - or any genuine religions for that matter), but when people tend to adopt the term 'Catholic' to add to self-made Churches that attempt to copy authentic Catholic doctrines ... I can find absolutely no patience for that self-imposed deviation from genuine Catholic beliefs." Farrant was quite obviously attempting to butter-up "Della" who at first protested she is Roman Catholic whilst believing in reincarnation, mediumship, spiritualism, magic and the occult — beliefs Roman Catholics would insist place her outside their Church and in a state of technical excommunication. Furthermore, "Della" has reached ill-considered judgements not in her gift to make. Why does she refer to Seán Manchester and his Faith in such an inaccurate and hostile way? Seán Manchester took Holy Orders at the end of a long journey which began with him as a young Anglican choir boy and church youth leader. Then he became a Roman Catholic convert which progressed to his embrace of the traditionalist English Catholicism he holds today which has witnessed him become a deacon, priest and finally a bishop. His spiritual odyssey and need to become autocephalous is detailed in his book The Grail Church (1995). 

Perhaps we should remind ourselves of some of the statements made by "Della Vallicrus" about her own beliefs on the Supernatural World forum:

"I know that some of my own beliefs are technically in opposition to my Catholic faith. For example, my belief that some 'spirits of the dead' are actually people trapped between worlds, in need of help, and are not demonic representations of the living here to fool us and lead us away from God's truth. But my personal experiences of this since childhood, as a natural medium, just do not allow me to reject the concept on principle. ... I also believe in the validity of ceremonial High magic. ... When I say 'validity', I mean that I do believe that it does work, when performed properly. ...  I believe it is possible to interact with angels and demons through structured processes, but I cannot extend this to nature deities."

On the following day, 27 December 2010, she posted this on the same forum:

"I also believe in a range of beings which exist incorporeally, including spirits of the dead which replicate the behaviour of demons as we perceive it. These can be people who have not passed over and have degenerated into negative and menacing spirits because of unresolved issues in life. My belief in spirits, in this instance the consciousnesses of the departed interacting with the earthly plane, is not based on scripture. It is based on a lifetime of personal experience. It may be at odds with my religion, but I believe in both, and I cannot renounce either. I know there are incompatibilities. ... Mediumship can be a very dangerous art, yes. I have never thought of it as necromancy."

All this from a theologically naive female barely turned thirty who gives the impression she inhabits the moral high ground as a holier than thou Roman Catholic, who is qualified to attack a bishop twice her age, while swooning over Farrant as might some wayward schoolgirl, albeit one infatuated with a lecherous old toad devoted to self-aggrandisement, phoney witchcraft, theatrical Satanism, hate campaigns and criminal acts to satisfy his pathetic craving for public attention. There is something rather distasteful, as well as disgraceful, about this female. Yet it is now known that "Della Vallicrus," as a person in her own right, as self-described on the internet by her, does not exist, and that she is in reality quite something and somebody else. What attractive thirty-year-old, it must be asked, would genuinely take an interest in a venomous old codger compelled to stoke a personal vendetta he harbours against someone he hasn't clapped eyes on for over three decades? Her Facebook account comprises mostly of a dozen or so of Farrant's cronies and very little else. That is because "Della Farrant" does not exist in her own right as "Della Farrant." She is somebody else.

Would an attractive Knightsbridge "interior designer" really be fawning over a decrepit malcontent old enough to be her grandfather? Would she really want take such a person to an expensive Hampstead restaurant and then spend the night at his dismal bedsit until late the next morning? Would she want him to plaster these titbits on his blog, and would she then add her own spice to a forum discussing it? The whole thing sounds about as phoney as it can get. "Why do the nutjobs always congregate around me?" she once ironically pondered.

Someone claiming to be the young girlfriend (and, since Hallowe'en 2011, wife) of a man born in January 1946 who was convicted of multifarious black magic outrages at Highgate, is the authoress of Haunted Highgate.