Derek Acorah has died - Our Official Statement

Early this morning Gwen Acorah (Derek's wife) posted the following on Facebook.

"Farewell my love! I will miss you forever! I’m devastated to announce that my beloved husband Derek has passed away after a very brief illness. Thank you so much to everybody who has supported me - I can never thank you enough. To the vile couple who hounded him for responses to their ridiculous campaign whilst he was in Intensive Care in a coma, I hope you have the decency to hang your heads in shame. I have things to deal with now but I won’t forget nor will I forgive what you have done!"

I had spoken to Gwen a few days ago with regards to the article about the Sunday Mirror that I published. She informed me that Derek was very ill, and asked I keep it quiet as she didn't want the media finding out. I wont reveal any more of what she told me, as it has not been made public outside of what she said in her statement. I offered to remove the article about the Sunday Mirror straight away and she said I should keep it up, and she even retweeted it from Derek's twitter account. I just wanted to make that clear, since I am getting a lot of abuse right now.

I would like to start off by saying that without Derek Acorah there would be no Jon Donnis, there would be no BadPsychics.com, to say this site would not exist without Derek Acorah is no understatement.

Year after year we went after Derek, we attacked him, we would expose things he said and did, spend countless hours investigating him. We did not make his life easy. You would think Derek and Gwen would hate me for this. In fact they were only ever nice to me.

I would like to share one example of that. Many many years ago someone contacted Derek as they had found out my home address, my full details, they gave those details to Derek, perhaps in the hope he would send his lawyers after me, or worse. Instead what happened was Gwen contacted me on behalf of Derek and told me exactly what had happened, and that someone was trying to get them to go after me. Instead they did the opposite, and gave me the heads up. Derek never sent his lawyers after me, instead he was being a nice guy.

I never forgot that. Here is me thinking the guy is the literal Devil, he gets a chance to come after me, and instead he does the good guy thing.

Now I am sure there were times when Derek cursed my name, probably shouted about me, complained about me to Gwen, and he would have every right to, after all I was attacking his career, his living. But personally Derek and his wife were always good to me, undeservedly so I admit.

As the years passed I always kept in contact with them. And I was invited to a show Derek was doing in West Bromwich one year to come meet him and say hi. To say I was a tad suspicious and worried was an understatement, I half expected to either get beaten up, or handed legal papers, instead Derek was super polite, shook my hand, took a photo with me, and we chatted for a few minutes.

While he performed his show I sat outside and chatted with his wife Gwen for a couple of hours, I asked her every question imaginable, about Derek, his beliefs, what she believed, poor woman probably felt like she was being interrogated, but she answered me best she could, gave her honest opinions, and although at the time I am sure she thought I would twist what she said and write an exposé of them, I kept my word and never revealed what we talked about and the answers she gave.

So here we are 2020, and Derek Acorah has "passed over".

Some people may think I would be happy about that, but the truth is I am sad, I am sad for Gwen and the whole family. Regardless of what I thought about Derek's professional life, personally he always treated me well and very fairly, anyone who knows me, knows how harsh and blunt I can be, yet Derek and Gwen were always just very nice to me.

Regardless of what anyone reading this thinks, understand that Derek was a huge part of my online life on BadPsychics. And on a personal level I will miss him.

I fear that much like when Colin Fry died, that we will now get an influx of fake psychics and mediums trying to use Derek's name to make money for themselves, claim that he is speaking through them, and so on, and when that happens (and it will happen) I will put a stop to that much like I did after Colin Fry passed.

As an entertainer Derek was Number 1 in his profession. No one ever really came close.
Without him, there would not have been a Most Haunted. There would be no Paranormal Investigation teams around the country.

And as the UK's Number 1 skeptic, I can only hope that Derek finds a way to haunt me.

Rest in Peace Derek.


By Jon Donnis.

The Sunday Mirror going after Derek Acorah, but are they massive hypocrites? Yes, yes they are.

Happy New Year! And with a new year, and new decade, I find that journalism in the UK has not changed, it is full of fake news, and hypocrites.

But before I start I want to make a few things very clear.
1. If something claims it is free, then YOU and YOUR data is the payment.
2. NEVER give your name, address, email or phone number to a psychic.
3. 100% of psychics/mediums fail 100% of the time when the chance to cheat is removed in credible tests. No exceptions, no anomalies.

Today (January 2nd 2020) I received an email from John Siddle a "journalist" from the Sunday Mirror.

Here is his email.

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Hi Jon,
I'm a reporter with the Sunday Mirror working on a piece about underhand practices by these so-called telly psychics. 
Wondered if I could have five minutes of your time.
Is there a number I could get you on? 
Thanks very much,
John Siddle

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Now, you might think that I would jump at the chance of helping the media and getting my name in a paper read by millions. Unfortunately I have been burned so many times that I simply do not trust the media in any way or form.

Here was my reply.

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Hi
I would love to help you, I really would.
Unfortunately your newspaper STOLE material from my site
and never credited it me, even worse you called it "an exclusive"
The journalist was Matt Roper and this happened a long time again.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/most-haunted-exposed-fake-star-833433

Every single time i have helped journalists with an article they have screwed me over.
EVERY SINGLE TIME. No exceptions. The Mirror a few times, the Sun, Observer, Independent, pretty much every tabloid out there.

Either they have stole my work and not credited me, or they have lied about the nature of their article
and ended up PROMOTING the very thing or person I exposed as a fraud.

So please give me one good reason why I should help you?
The media have a 100% record in screwing me over.

---

Clearly I am not one to hold a grudge.

Amazingly he replied and still asked for help.

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Hi, sorry to hear about your bad experiences in the past. 
I don't want to force you to help, but if you want to, that'd be great. 
I'm just looking for a couple of paragraphs reaction to this story that we're running at the weekend...

Telly psychics  - including Derek Acorah - who are using automated bots to  prey on social media users.
People are being offered ‘free readings’ in exchange for liking their social media page/posts. Messages are then sent to users saying, for example: ‘Hi [NAME], I sense unexpected news in the New Year. Text Derek to 85*** £1 per message. Max 3’
Recipients say they have been hounded with hundreds of the messages over Facebook, with some saying they are feeling suicidal as a consequence. They include the mum of a teenager who died less than a year ago. 

If you can help great - but no worries if you don't want to. 
Thanks, John.

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It seems like a good article for him to write, so why wouldn't I want to help him? Well I decided I WOULD help him, and give him a couple of paragraphs for him to publish. What do you think? Will he dare publish this?

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Hi 
Ok here is my reaction. I doubt you will publish it, but lets see how brave you are. Or if you are a massive hypocrite.

"Derek Acorah is in the entertainment business, sadly he has seen that his touring work has slowed down and as such he has moved into the online market more and more. Derek Acorah simply sells his name to these companies who then use his fame as part of this robocall business. Derek has little to no technological knowledge he is not behind this, he is just taking a paycheck to promote something.

The Mirror does the exact same thing when they have horoscopes printed by Russell Grant, it is the exact same scam. You get people on a free reading and then link them to expensive phone charges, private readings and so on. Sadly as long as the media, and that includes The Mirror, promotes these kinds of charlatans, then there will always be a steady stream of victims to be taken advantage of."

Credit: Jon Donnis - BadPsychics.com
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Now, the reason I have written this article and published my response, is because I highly doubt that John Siddle will ever print it. He will never admit that the newspaper he writes for, profits from the exact same thing he is attacking Derek Acorah for. I expect he may even cancel the article about Acorah after reading this.

So lets take a look at The Mirror.

They have Russell Grant offer "free" horoscopes. Whereby they also offer a free newsletter. First of all this is data collection, have no doubt about that, you give them your email, you can expect to receive more than just some nonsense horoscope. Remember what I said at the start of this article, "If something claims it is free, then YOU and YOUR data is the payment."

Under the Horoscopes on the Mirror they have links to Russel's site.

Notice how many times the word "FREE" is used.
Yet once you go to Russel Grant's site, everything costs.

YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE! For just £29.95

Or how about "Email a Psychic"?

Ask a Short question for £13.95
Ask a Long question for £29.95

All money!

I could go through his whole site and give examples, the point is, is this any worse than what Derek Acorah is doing?

It is all a scam. It is all about getting money from gullible vulnerable people.

They collect your data through your email address, or through your phone number, and then they keep spamming you.

My advice is do NOT give you email, your name, your phone number or anything to a psychic, an astrologer, a mystic. And if you do, do not complain when you start getting spammed by robocalls and automated bots.

And my message to John Siddel at The Sunday Mirror, before attacking others, perhaps you should look at your own employers, for they are profiting from the very thing you are claiming to expose.

I have contacted Derek Acorah for comment on this article and his involvement with Robocalls, and when I get a reply I will update this article.

By Jon Donnis