RITUAL child abuse and devil worship in the shadow of Pendle Hill - its an idea which seems like a plot for a Hollywood B-movie. But is it true?

Harley Street psychotherapist Valerie Sinason has claimed that paedophiles and Satanists in East Lancashire were responsible for sickening crimes - including murder.

Reporter PAUL BARRY looks into her claims and the reaction of those on the front line in the battle against evil.

A CONTROVERSIAL Government-appointed psychotherapist has been urged to come up with hard evidence after she claimed that paedophiles and Satanists in East Lancashire were responsible for sickening crimes - including murder.

Psychotherapist Valerie Sinason - whose claims have been rubbished by other researchers - says victims have told her about sick rituals in Blackburn and Accrington as well as other parts of Lancashire.

A Scotland Yard detective is using Ms Sinason's information to compile his own report but Lancashire police have not been contacted to follow up any of the allegations.

Ms Sinason, who has interviewed 76 alleged abuse victims for a Department of Health research paper, said that while some abusers held genuine Satanic beliefs, many devil-worship rituals were carried out by paedophiles who wanted to terrorise their victims into silence.

Ms Sinason, director of the London-based Clinic for Dissociative Studies, said: "There has been a particular group of victims from the Lancashire area. They have told me about murder and other extremely perverted activities.

"They claim to have witnessed enforced abortions, animal killings, physical and sexual abuse, drug use, pornographic film-making and desecration of churches."

She said there was evidence that children were not being registered on birth certificates to make them "non people" and ensure they were groomed for abuse.

She said much of the abuse took place within families, and that prostitutes, runaways and drug addicts nationwide had been murdered. Detective Inspector Phil McEntee, of Lancashire police's family protection unit, said: "There is no investigation into ritual abuse in Lancashire and I have never heard anything to suggest that it happens.

"We don't think that anything is so outrageous that it cannot be true. Matters like these are always fully investigated. But we can only ever work on hard evidence.

"People do come in with fabulous stories about what has happened to them and we always investigate fully and thoroughly.

"But the cases we have dealt with, we know and we can prove that these things have not happened. I have not had any contact with this lady or with Scotland Yard about ritual abuse."

The Rev Kevin Logan, Vicar of Christ Church - pictured - Accrington, said: "Satanic abuse has certainly happened in recent years in Britain and it may be still happening in extremely rare instances. "I would not rule out the possibility that it is happening in Lancashire but I would be very surprised, since I have heard nothing about it for more than five years."

Mr Logan, who has campaigned against Satanism and written a book on the occult, said: "At one time it seemed fashionable for social workers to investigate ritual abuse and there was a lot of misunderstanding and many false allegations as a result.

"We must avoid hysteria, because when extreme stories appear, the real victims of sexual abuse can suffer."

A report published by the Government in 1994, which reviewed 84 cases, concluded there was no evidence of Satanic abuse and only three cases of ritual abuse.

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