A supernatural investigator says he is convinced the man in this spooky photograph is the ghost of a Croydon butcher who died years before the picture was taken.According to paranormal enthusiast Malcolm Robinson, the image turned up in a roll of film developed after a house party in Tamworth Road in either October 1979 or October 1980.
The man in the picture was the only guest' the hostess did not recognise and, after showing it to a neighbour, she is said to have discovered the image was of a dead butcher who had previously lived in the house.
Malcolm, who founded Strange Phenomena Investigations, has been looking into the picture's origins since he was given it in August.
He said: "It wasn't until the lady got the photographs developed that she realised she didn't know who the person in the photograph was. The whole spool had been taken in the house, so it wasn't a photograph from an earlier day.
"She showed the photograph to numerous people who had been at the party, and not one of them recognised this chap. It wasn't until the lady showed the photograph to her next door neighbour, that he remarked, Oh that's old Norman Smithenbottom, he's been dead for years'.
"The elderly gentleman said he used to be a local butcher who had previously lived in her house."
The address where the picture is alleged to have been taken - 83 Tamworth Road - has since been demolished to make way for the Centrale development.
It was formerly a six-storey Victorian house which had old servant bells downstairs and horse stables at the back.
Malcolm added: "I've been doing this sort of thing for 25 years and you get to know when people are trying to pull the wool over your eyes. I'm convinced of her sincerity.
"We know his name is Norman Smithenbottom and that he was a butcher, but not much else. We would like to ask your readers - particularly your older readers - if they have any information."
Ghost Photo
Ghost Photo