Owl phobia woman wins damages from religious doctor Published duration 30 November 2018

image copyright Cavendish image caption A judge ruled Sally Brayshaw was entitled to more than £12,700 compensation from Dr Thomas O'Brien

A woman who developed a crippling fear of owls after religious grooming by her doctor has won a damages claim.

Sally Brayshaw, 54, was taken to religious meetings and told the devil was "having a real go" at her by GP Thomas O'Brien.

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

A High Court judge ruled she was entitled to more than £12,700.

Mrs Brayshaw, of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, was in pain following an operation when she went to see Dr O'Brien in August 2012.

Gospel channel

At a previous hearing, her lawyers told the court the GP "commended to her a way of healing without medication".

Over the next six months Dr O'Brien engaged Mrs Brayshaw in a number of religious activities, taking her to services, giving her religious gifts and setting her television to the Gospel channel to "soak" her in religious content.

On one occasion, Mrs Brayshaw said she was taken to a meeting where a preacher spoke of sacrificing an owl.

image copyright Getty Images image caption The hearing was told Mrs Brayshaw developed a fear of owls after being taken to a meeting where a preacher spoke about sacrificing a bird

This left her so terrified of the birds she could no longer look at a picture of one without becoming terrified.

Mr Justice Martin Spencer said it was "foreseeable" Mrs Brayshaw might "react adversely", adding: "By reason of his zealous promotion of the religious aspects, [Dr O'Brien] became blind to the medical aspects and thereby caused or contributed to the deterioration in the claimant's mental health."

Dr O'Brien took no part in the case and his whereabouts are unknown.

He was investigated by the General Medical Council (GMC) and struck off in 2015.

The judge rejected Mrs Brayshaw's claim against the partners of Apsley Surgery, in Stoke-on-Trent, where Mr O'Brien worked as a locum.

Related Topics Stoke-on-Trent