No happy medium as law makes presence felt

Published on Saturday 24 May 2008 20:17

YOU have to ask why they didn't see it coming. Mediums and spiritualists are being forced to warn vulnerable customers that their services are not 'experimentally proven'.

European Union laws coming into force tomorrow will make clairvoyants admit that they have no evidence for their claims.

The new rules, to be enforced by the Office of Fair Trading, means mystics will have to display disclaimers, and faith healers, spiritualists and mediums will also have to post warnings to customers on websites and invoices.

Previously, under the 1951 Fraudulent Mediums Act, prosecutors had to prove that a medium had intentionally given false information, or had given advice they knew would lead their customer to spend money.

Hanne Stinson, chief executive of the British Humanist Association, which has been campaigning for a change to the law, said: "We hope the new regulations will make real changes to the current situation, where psychic practitioners are permitted to make completely unsubstantiated claims and to take a payment for their services, without fear of legal action."

But Carole McEntee-Taylor, founder of the Spiritual Workers' Association – described on its website as a self-regulating body for its workers – says spiritualism should not be made subject to consumer protection regulations. "It's turning spiritualism the religion into a consumer product, which it is not," she said.

However, other mediums welcomed the move. Susie Collings, of the College of Psychic Studies, said the directive would tighten standards and discourage "less than ethical" practitioners.

She added that the new laws would mean the public would be more aware of what to expect from a reading. One concern, however, was that it could lead to unnecessary law suits and malicious civil actions.