Stoke Mum,56, Entitled £12,700 after doctor suggested she was possessed by demons

A woman left with a fear of owls following months of religious grooming by a doctor has been awarded more than £12,000 after a High Court ruling.

Sally Brayshaw, 56, of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, was taken to religious meetings and told the devil was "having a real go" at her by GP Thomas O'Brien.


At one of a series of religious meetings she attended with the locum doctor, a preacher spoke of sacrificing an owl which left her "terrified" of the birds and she later became upset when seeing a picture of one.

The former special constable, of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, wanted to discuss her depression, but claims locum GP Dr Thomas O'Brien tried to 'heal her without medication'.

Over the next six months Dr O'Brien engaged Mrs Brayshaw in a number of religious activities.

She claimed the locum doctor, a Pentecostal Christian, suggested she was possessed by demons and advised her not to see a psychiatrist.



Mrs Brayshaw, who has multiple physical and mental health problems, was in pain following an operation when she went to see Dr O'Brien in August 2012.

He suggested a way of healing without medication which she agreed to try because she was "feeling desperate", her lawyers said at an earlier hearing.

Today, a judge ruled that Dr O'Brien was 'negligent' and said Mrs Brayshaw is entitled to more than £12,700 compensation from him. 

Mr Justice Martin Spencer said it was 'foreseeable' Mrs Brayshaw might 'react adversely' in the way she did.