A man who divorced his wife after visits to a psychic has been cleared of harassing her.
Jim Gotobed, of Romford, said he had left sessions with Tracie Long feeling “hypnotised” and increasingly in love with her, the Telegraph reports.
The former amateur racing driver embarked on an ten month affair with the psychic, reportedly spending £12,000 on her, and eventually divorcing Josie, his wife of 25 years.
Long accused the sales manager of harassing and threatening her after the end of their relationship, but magistrates at Chelmsford Crown Court accepted his version of events. He had, they concluded, been “honest, straightforward and convincing”.
The 50 year-old said he had rekindled a former friendship with Ms Long via Facebook. She began doing tarot card readings for him he claimed – although she denied this – and told he needed money, so he sold his guitar, car and other possessions. She allegedly told him he was destined to marry her and quit has job at an insulation firm after Ms Long reportedly told he wasn’t earning enough money.
He had not been acting of his own free will, he insisted. “There were things I did which people know I would never have done. I would never have got divorced. I got divorced.”
When Ms Long ended their relationship, he complained about her to the Spiritual Workers Association, a spiritualist organisation, saying he wanted to prevent her from “duping” other people. But the society rejected his complaints after an investigation.
Ms Long said he had seen erratic and “obsessed” after the end of their relationship. She insisted she had only given him a “mini reading” and said she had never told him they were destined to marry.
Mr Gotobed and his former wife Josie now plan to remarry.
For heavens sake what a ridiculous suggestion that this psychic had hypnotised this man. As a trained hypnotherapist i can tell you he hypnotised himself – all hypnosis is self hypnosis. This guy clearly didnt want to take responsibility for himself and how telling that the psychic gets no chance to express herself in equal measure. How unfair is that.
I agree with Kevin, and you will note that it was the psychic that took Mr Gotobed to court, not the other way around. It seems to me from the report that the magistrate focussed on the psychic aspect of this case, and not Ms Long’s claim that he harassed her. In fact there is no mention of that. It seems to me that although the spiritual workers association found no case to answer there is little reported about Mr Gotobed’s harassment, it all focuses on tarot, and since tarot cards DO NOT predict at all, I am mystified on how this man can say these things. How does he substantiate them?