An elderly spiritual healer in Gillingham, U.K., was convicted of sexually abusing children as young as 19 years during the 1990s. Even though he was accused for one offence of sexual activity with a child, two offences of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, three offences of indecency with a child and 10 offences of indecent assault, 76-year-old Colin Fooks denied all charges. He was eventually cleared of two charges but convicted for the remaining ones.

Reportedly, Fooks and his wife Maureen practiced spiritual healing when each of these alleged cases took place before and during 1993. Prosecutor Paul Valder said Fooks, who is the father of four children used his bare hands to heal his visitors while his wife used crystals. According to Valder, the abuse comprised of Fooks touching boy children intimately and compelling girl children to touch him inappropriately. While most of the abused children felt odd and scared, they were unsure if Fooks was doing something wrong because they were too young and naïve to wholly understand the situation.

One girl claimed that Fooks insisted that he place his mouth over her breasts if she wanted them to grow bigger while a boy said that he was touched up in public toilets. Obviously, Fooks denied conducting himself inappropriately around any of his visitors, saying his spiritual healing required him to touch his followers on the front and the back but he never violated anyone intentionally. After being convicted, Fooks managed to bail himself until July 4th on medical grounds.

Photo Credit: KentOnline