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Psychic never saw trouble coming
From the archive, first published Thursday 9th Mar 2006.
A PSYCHIC medium was arrested at one of his events after he punched a member of the audience who accused him of being a fake.
Today Stephen Holbrook, who was given a police caution after admitting the assault, said: "I never saw it coming.
"I will have to start looking for a new job now!"
Mr Holbrook said he was not a violent person, but could not tolerate slurs on his profession while he was staging an evening of clairvoyance in Blackburn's Ewood Park's Premier Suite on Tuesday night.
He said that the audience was generally appreciative and enthusiastic, but that four people were persistently heckling him throughout the show.
At the end of the night Mr Holbrook claimed a man began being very abusive towards him.
Mr Holbrook said he swung a punch at the man and there was a scuffle before the police were called.
He said: "I cannot believe I did it. I am the least violent person.
"I am 39-years-old and have three kids and have never hit anyone. I used to cry at Little House of the Prairie.
"I think the punched missed and he got a carpet burn on his arm from where he fell."
Mr Holbrook, who lives in West Yorkshire, said it was the first time there had been any problems like this at one of his shows.
He added: "I have worked as a medium for the past 19 years and it is a natural ability which I have the utmost respect for.
"The guy was not making as much as a personal attack on me but he tried to say the whole spiritual side of things was a total sham.
"I am very sensitive and they were laughing at my profession.
"The audiences are usually wonderful. Despite the incident on the whole it was still a really good experience."
A man who attended the show said: "At the end of it there was some pushing and shoving between one of the audience and Stephen Holbrook. If he is such a good clairvoyant, should he not have known that this was going to happen?"
Another audience member added: "Before the trouble people had been going up to thank him for the show and saying they had a really good night.
"It was just these four people who were unhappy."
Mr Holbrook was taken to Greenbank police station in Whitebirk where he spent 45 minutes being cautioned before his release at around 12.40am yesterday.
A police spokesman said: "An altercation had taken place between two men after a psychic show and one of them a man aged 39 years was arrested for assault.
"He was interviewed at the police station and received a caution for common assault."
l Do you know the man who was punched? Call our newsdesk on 01254 298205.
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