Jailed psychic offering 'gift'

A fraudster psychic who was jailed for conning businesses out of nearly £200,000 is offering spiritual guidance to fellow prisoners.

Craig Shell, from Comberton Road, Kidderminster, was jailed for three years this month for nine charges of deception, fraud and theft totalling £180,000.

The 22-year-old, who was described in court as having an "untreatable personality disorder" and a desire to "make himself feel important", is offering advice and guidance to inmates at HMP Blakenhurst in Redditch, Worcestershire.

Shell wrote to Inside Time, a magazine for prisoners, offering his services to fellow spiritualists. His letter read: "Whilst most prisons offer different faith practices, not all offer spiritualism as a practiced faith.

"Indeed, upon entering Blakenhurst and being a true spiritualist, I visited the chaplaincy regarding my religion only to be informed that spiritualism was not and would not be catered for during either my remand or sentenced time here. Therefore, if any spiritualist requires guidance or support, or simply someone to share views with, write to me."

Shell claims on his website to have noticed a physic "gift" following the death of his father when he was 10 and says he receives messages from loved ones on the other side.

The mystic claimed he had celebrity clients, including Michael Barrymore, and tricked business people into providing him with goods and services and said he had worked alongside Phil Whymann, from Living TV's Most Haunted. He was finally rumbled when he approached Redditch Spiritualist Church and offered to run a raffle with a £500 trip to Paris as the first prize.The luxury holiday never materialised and Shell pocketed the cash raised from the raffle.

Upon sentencing at Hereford Crown Court, Judge David McEvoy said his nine admitted counts of frauds between August 2005 and March 2007, plus a further 18 offences taken into consideration, were "particularly mean" since many were committed against small businesses.