Steve Genier of the Southern Ontario Paranormal Society.
.
Self-proclaimed agnostic Steve Genier of Burlington, Ontario, Canada, describes himself as the founder of the Southern Ontario Paranormal Society and producer of Nocturnal Frequency Radio. He used to post on the internet from 1998 as "zombiman69" and also "zombi69." As well as being self-styled "leader" of SOPS, which he founded in October 2005, he is also a big fan of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. For reasons not yet entirely apparent, Mr Genier has become an apologist for David Farrant whom he first interviewed on 4 April 2009 for his blogtalk radio. The interview turned out to be nothing more than a platform for Mr Farrant to spread his familiar venom. The entire exercise quickly became open season for defaming Bishop Seán Manchester. This reveals more about Mr Genier than it does about Mr Farrant whose false and libellous allegations most have heard one hundred times before.
.
.
David Farrant
.
Much nonsense is claimed about the Highgate Vampire case on the internet by those who copy and paste manufactured twaddle from elsewhere. Steve Genier's interview with David Farrant is a prime example of someone who poorly researches their guests and, even when presented with evidence from the public archives prior to inteviewing Mr Farrant, ignores the facts in order to stick with an agenda of propagating falsehood against the author and exorcist Bishop Manchester. The agenda soon becomes apparent as it is realised that Steve Genier shares David Farrant's distaste for Christianity and is openly sympathetic to witchcraft.
Much nonsense is claimed about the Highgate Vampire case on the internet by those who copy and paste manufactured twaddle from elsewhere. Steve Genier's interview with David Farrant is a prime example of someone who poorly researches their guests and, even when presented with evidence from the public archives prior to inteviewing Mr Farrant, ignores the facts in order to stick with an agenda of propagating falsehood against the author and exorcist Bishop Manchester. The agenda soon becomes apparent as it is realised that Steve Genier shares David Farrant's distaste for Christianity and is openly sympathetic to witchcraft.
.
Mr Genier joined in Mr Farrant's abuse and repeated it over and again. It was Mr Genier who insisted on identifying by name who it was they were both attacking. His purpose soon became apparent as he likened the author of The Highgate Vampire to something out of the Middle Ages. Mr Genier is not fond of Christians at the best of times, and frequently complimented Mr Farrant for being a wiccan. But David Farrant is not a wiccan and never has been a wiccan. Even wiccans give Mr Farrant the cold shoulder and want nothing to do with him. And who can blame them? David Farrant believes in nothing, as he confirmed on the James Randi Forum, 12 April 2007. Nothing, that is, besides his self-serving attention-seeking and malicious vendettas.
Many have observed that if you extract the bishop from any interview David Farrant gives, the latter is left with nothing original to say; if you extract the bishop from anything Mr Farrant has self-published, David Farrant is left with nothing to write about; and if you extract Bishop Seán Manchester from Mr Farrant's life, the interloping charlatan would go completely unnoticed. It is only by exploiting the name of his arch-nemesis and riding on his coat-tails that David Farrant can raise the slightest interest or attract attention to himself. And so it has been for over four decades.
.
David Farrant is a charlatan who clearly does not believe in the things he claims publicly. No intelligent person would take him seriously. He is a transparent bandwagoneer and a fraudster whose manufactured lies will not stand up to close scrutiny and examination. We doubt anyone could meet a more disingenuous and deceitful person; utterly void of sincerity; totally consumed by his hatred for Bishop Seán Manchester and anyone sympathetic to the bishop. Why Steve Genier would take any notice of this non-entity who will do just about anything to feed his insatiable appetite for publicity is puzzling at first glance. Perhaps closer examination of Mr Genier might help explain his own willingness to provide someone like this with a platform?
.
Steve Genier stooped to defaming Bishop Seán Manchester throughout the interview which concentrated on discussing the author of The Highgate Vampire and not David Farrant whose criminal convictions in connection with Highgate Cemetery were given a very wide berth by Mr Genier. Nothing Mr Farrant said about Bishop Manchester during the interview is accurate or true. Yet Mr Genier accepted the word of the compulsive liar and convicted felon and, moreover, repeated David Farrant's malicious propaganda. Steve Genier sought no evidence for the falsehood he publicised on Nocturnal Frequency Radio because no evidence for any of Mr Farrant's lies exists.
.
For example, Bishop Seán Manchester made no "vampire film" in the 1960s as claimed by Mr Farrant whom, incidentally, he met in 1970, not 1967 as alleged by Mr Farrant during the interview. Their meeting, in fact, was recorded by the Hampstead & Highgate Express, 6 March 1970, on its front page. Mr Farrant even told the then editor of the newspaper for that front page story that he had recently met Bishop Manchester for the first time. The retired editor of the Hampstead & Highgate Express remembers the meeting in his office where David Farrant made this statement.
.
He also falsely alleged that Bishop Manchester stated on television on 13 March 1970 that Mr Farrant was intended hunting the vampire at Highgate Cemetery on that very same night. It was David Farrant's published intention to take it upon himself to pursue the vampire and Bishop Manchester warned against this plan, but no mention was made of when this would happen. Mr Farrant had suggested he would do so in the same edition of the aforementioned newspaper and, indeed, he did hunt the vampire on the night of 17 August 1970, which was a thwarted attempt that led to him being arrested by police in Highgate Cemetery and appearing before Clerkenwell Court. When interviewed by the BBC about his arrest in the following October, Mr Farrant reconstructed his "vampire hunt" - complete with cross and stake - for the cameras. Recordings of both these programmes are available to those who want to hear the facts for themselves. The Highgate Vampire CD contains these interviews from 1970. It can be obtained from Gothic Press.
.
So utterly boring and lacking in charisma is David Farrant that he found himself obliged to read passages from Bishop Seán Manchester's The Highgate Vampire to keep things vaguely interesting. These pathetic, stammered attempts were risible! Mr Farrant, of course, read nothing from his own self-published pamphlets because there is nothing in them worth repeating! Moreover, they totally contradict what exists on public record four decades ago.
.
David Farrant
.Most revealing about Steve Genier's interview with David Farrant is that much of it was spent discussing Bishop Seán Manchester who, needless to say, was not present to defend himself. The Canadian "paranormal researcher," as he likes others to see him, was particularly eager to identify the bishop by name and no less keen to libel him whilst fawning over Mr Farrant who could barely string a comprehensible sentence together.
.
Incredibly, Genier asked absolutely no questions about Mr Farrant's criminal convictions relating to Highgate Cemetery. Nor anything about Mr Farrant's other crimes. One is bound to ask why? After all, having been found guilty of indecency in a churchyard in November 1972, David Farrant, in June 1974, was found guilty of malicious vandalism and tomb desecration at Highgate Cemetery, as well as being found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice by sending black magic threats to police witnesses. These threats comprised voodoo dolls impaled with pins. There were other crimes relating to theft and firearms. Mr Farrant received a prison sentence of four years and eight months at London's Old Bailey's central criminal court.
.
Steve Genier was far more interested in hearing David Farrant libel Bishop Seán Manchester.
.
It is quite obvious that Mr Genier has fallen for Mr Farrant's propaganda hook, line and sinker. He declared what an "honour" it was to be able to speak to the ex-convict and proceeded to attack Bishop Seán Manchester, calling him a "bogus bishop" and repeating David Farrant's completely unsubstantiated allegations. That Bishop Manchester is a properly consecrated member of the episcopate is not questioned by priests and bishops; so why by Steve Genier? Moreover, Bishop Seán Manchester's ecclesial standing has been tested before his peers and a panel headed by the Anglican Bishop Richard Holloway who found in favour of Bishop Manchester when the matter was adjudicated following an unfortunate slight by an amateur radio station who immediately afterwards apologised and stated that it was not their intention to cast any doubt about the validity of the bishop's holy orders and episcopal consecration.
.
There is no likelihood of Steve Genier ever doing the same, but, at least, those involved in the paranormal now have his number. How can such a man be trusted by other researchers?
.
On 1 June 2009, Steve Genier invited David Farrant back onto his blogtalk radio for yet another interview. Lo and behold, Mr Farrant repeated verbatim down the telephone what he had mumbled in his previous interview. Yet again Mr Farrant read at length from Bishop Seán Manchester's The Highgate Vampire; and the passages were exactly the same ones he had stammered and stumbled over back in April. Perhaps he should give up trying to read other people's works and stick to reading from his own self-published pamphlets? At least, the words in his efforts are kindergarten; and so is the spelling and grammar! This was once again an admission that he has nothing interesting of his own to share and is entirely dependent on Bishop Manchester to attract an audience. Yet further interviews with David Farrant followed on Nocturnal Frequency Radio, all with the same format and agenda.
More interviews were to follow which merely duplicated everything that had gone before. It is almost hilarious to witness Mr Genier being in awe of someone like Mr Farrant who cannot string a sentence together in comprehensible English most of the time, and when he does he only ends up contradicting himself over and over again. On 1 May 2011, yet another interview with David Farrant took place where listeners (it's hard to believe there are any) were subjected to more of the same. This time the two anti-Christians were briefly joined by Richard Syrett who had interviewed the bishop for his television programme The Conspiracy Show back in February 2011. It aired exactly one month before the pre-recorded interview with Steve Genier was transmitted. Mr Syrett, a Greek Orthodox Christian, obviously felt uncomfortable and soon made his excuses to quit the interview in mid-flow. He wrote to Bishop Manchester:
"I was asked onto this internet radio show to promote my TV show and relate my experience of travelling to the UK and meeting you. I was not told Farrant was going to be on with me, or at the very least, it was not my understanding he would be on with me. I was cordial with him and yes I told him I regretted not being able to meet him whilst over there. But I gave you my word he would not be interviewed for my show and I meant it. For me the Highgate case is closed and I have no intention of ever interviewing Farrant. It was an awkward situation being thrown on air with him. I tried to handle it as best I could."
The interview with Mr Farrant about Bishop Manchester and the Highgate Vampire case took all of thirty-three minutes of exceptionally tedious banter between the host and his assistant (about nothing remotely supernatural) to begin.
One hour and thirty-nine minutes into the interview, David Farrant claimed to Steve Genier that Bishop Seán Manchester is banned from entering Highgate Cemetery while also claiming that he himself is not banned. Yet Mr Farrant also admitted that he had to hide within a group of other people so as not to be discovered when he took a booked tour at the cemetery in 2006. Mr Farrant obviously feels that he is banned, whether he is or not, otherwise why act so deviously and hide away from the tour guide and FoHC officials?.
"I am certainly not banned as Mr [sic] Manchester has been," said David Farrant while speaking to Steve Genier, one hour and thirty-nine minutes into the interview on Nocturnal Frequency Radio.
For the record, Bishop Manchester is not banned from Highgate Cemetery, and never has been. He was a personal friend of the previous chairwoman of the Friends of Highgate Cemetery and FoHC still send him their publications. He has visted the cemetery many times over the last four decades and is always received warmly by those in charge.
Mr Farrant, with Mr Genier's encouragement, had earlier claimed he had been in touch with the Dutch Old Catholic Church, the American Old Catholic Church [sic] (there are any number of autocephalous Old Catholic Churches in the USA) and the Vatican, all of whom he alleged knew nothing of Bishop Manchester. The Dutch Old Catholic Church ceased to be Catholic some time back, and is now Protestant. It is also in favour of women priests and allows same sex unions for which it performs "marriages." Bishop Manchester would be horrified to be associated wih them, and regards them as heretical in the extreme. The Old Catholic Churches in America have befriended Bishop Manchester, as evinced on his Facebook pages, but, again, they are for the most part far too liberal for the bishop whose jurisdiction only extends within the confines of the British Isles.
Whoever is approached at the Vatican, or England's Westminster Cathedral, with all the facts regarding Bishop Manchester's lines of apostolic succession and episcopal consecration on 4 October 1991 will confirm that he is a valid, albeit irregular, bishop ("irregular" only because he does not come under papal universal jurisidiction, nor would want to). It is a valid line (or lines) of apostolic succession which determines whether someone is a bishop or not, and Bishop Illtyd Thomas, Bishop Michael Weston and Bishop James Henry Vermeulen episcopally consecrated Reverend Seán Manchester at which point he inherited many lines of apostolic succession and became a bishop. On 1 July 1993, Bishop Seán Manchester was enthroned amid Glastonbury Abbey's ruins as Bishop of Glastonbury. On 20 February 2002, he became Presiding Bishop for the Traditional Old Catholic Church in Great Britain.
More interviews were to follow which merely duplicated everything that had gone before. It is almost hilarious to witness Mr Genier being in awe of someone like Mr Farrant who cannot string a sentence together in comprehensible English most of the time, and when he does he only ends up contradicting himself over and over again. On 1 May 2011, yet another interview with David Farrant took place where listeners (it's hard to believe there are any) were subjected to more of the same. This time the two anti-Christians were briefly joined by Richard Syrett who had interviewed the bishop for his television programme The Conspiracy Show back in February 2011. It aired exactly one month before the pre-recorded interview with Steve Genier was transmitted. Mr Syrett, a Greek Orthodox Christian, obviously felt uncomfortable and soon made his excuses to quit the interview in mid-flow. He wrote to Bishop Manchester:
"I was asked onto this internet radio show to promote my TV show and relate my experience of travelling to the UK and meeting you. I was not told Farrant was going to be on with me, or at the very least, it was not my understanding he would be on with me. I was cordial with him and yes I told him I regretted not being able to meet him whilst over there. But I gave you my word he would not be interviewed for my show and I meant it. For me the Highgate case is closed and I have no intention of ever interviewing Farrant. It was an awkward situation being thrown on air with him. I tried to handle it as best I could."
The interview with Mr Farrant about Bishop Manchester and the Highgate Vampire case took all of thirty-three minutes of exceptionally tedious banter between the host and his assistant (about nothing remotely supernatural) to begin.
One hour and thirty-nine minutes into the interview, David Farrant claimed to Steve Genier that Bishop Seán Manchester is banned from entering Highgate Cemetery while also claiming that he himself is not banned. Yet Mr Farrant also admitted that he had to hide within a group of other people so as not to be discovered when he took a booked tour at the cemetery in 2006. Mr Farrant obviously feels that he is banned, whether he is or not, otherwise why act so deviously and hide away from the tour guide and FoHC officials?.
"I am certainly not banned as Mr [sic] Manchester has been," said David Farrant while speaking to Steve Genier, one hour and thirty-nine minutes into the interview on Nocturnal Frequency Radio.
For the record, Bishop Manchester is not banned from Highgate Cemetery, and never has been. He was a personal friend of the previous chairwoman of the Friends of Highgate Cemetery and FoHC still send him their publications. He has visted the cemetery many times over the last four decades and is always received warmly by those in charge.
Mr Farrant, with Mr Genier's encouragement, had earlier claimed he had been in touch with the Dutch Old Catholic Church, the American Old Catholic Church [sic] (there are any number of autocephalous Old Catholic Churches in the USA) and the Vatican, all of whom he alleged knew nothing of Bishop Manchester. The Dutch Old Catholic Church ceased to be Catholic some time back, and is now Protestant. It is also in favour of women priests and allows same sex unions for which it performs "marriages." Bishop Manchester would be horrified to be associated wih them, and regards them as heretical in the extreme. The Old Catholic Churches in America have befriended Bishop Manchester, as evinced on his Facebook pages, but, again, they are for the most part far too liberal for the bishop whose jurisdiction only extends within the confines of the British Isles.
Whoever is approached at the Vatican, or England's Westminster Cathedral, with all the facts regarding Bishop Manchester's lines of apostolic succession and episcopal consecration on 4 October 1991 will confirm that he is a valid, albeit irregular, bishop ("irregular" only because he does not come under papal universal jurisidiction, nor would want to). It is a valid line (or lines) of apostolic succession which determines whether someone is a bishop or not, and Bishop Illtyd Thomas, Bishop Michael Weston and Bishop James Henry Vermeulen episcopally consecrated Reverend Seán Manchester at which point he inherited many lines of apostolic succession and became a bishop. On 1 July 1993, Bishop Seán Manchester was enthroned amid Glastonbury Abbey's ruins as Bishop of Glastonbury. On 20 February 2002, he became Presiding Bishop for the Traditional Old Catholic Church in Great Britain.
Many have observed that if you extract the bishop from any interview David Farrant gives, the latter is left with nothing original to say; if you extract the bishop from anything Mr Farrant has self-published, David Farrant is left with nothing to write about; and if you extract Bishop Seán Manchester from Mr Farrant's life, the interloping charlatan would go completely unnoticed. It is only by exploiting the name of his arch-nemesis and riding on his coat-tails that David Farrant can raise the slightest interest or attract attention to himself. And so it has been for over four decades.
.
