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A Chaddesden barman has opened up publicly about his UFO experience - describing the time he believes he witnessed a phenomenon dubbed “The Black Knight”.

Zayell Gillespie was with two friends when he saw a dark prism shape emerge from the night sky and move towards them.

The mates watched, as terror slowly fell over Mr Gillespie, while the dark spectre loomed over them for a full fifteen minutes.

Mr Gillespie said the UFO had two bright “stars” at the top of what he described as a “ship”. He said they appeared to act like headlights.

Mr Gillespie said he had drunk two pints of beer, one friend had drank one pint, and the other was sober.

He says the friends have discussed the events of February 9, 2016, many times since it happened.

The location was the Bulwell Forest Golf Club, by the third hole at the top of a hill.

Mr Gillespie, who was a barman at Bunk before it closed during the coronavirus outbreak, said the UFO made no noise at all as it hovered above them on that quiet evening.

He said: “We decided to go for a stroll after going to the pub. It was a nice night.

“We walked up to the top of the hill. As we were staring at the sky, there were these two stars that moved towards us. They grew. I thought they couldn’t possibly be stars.

"They both came into focus – up close to us in the air. I thought maybe it was a helicopter – but there was no sound.”

He added: “As you focused on it, you could see there was a black shape around it which was slightly differently coloured to the night sky.”

The now 27-year-old, who was a secondary pupil at Da Vinci Community College and still lives in Derby, said he became disturbed by the UFO after several minutes and, after realising that it reminded him of internet stories describing something called “The Black Knight”, he hid under a tree.

The Black Knight is a supposed astrological phenomenon that was first written about by the famous scientist Nikolai Tesla.

The scientist drew pictures, which are available to view online, which show a black prism with two bright stars near the top, similar to how Mr Gillespie described.

According to some UFO conspiracists, it is an artificial satellite which has orbited Earth for approximately 13,000 years.

Recalling the incident, Mr Gillespie said he felt as if the craft was somehow scanning his body and his emotions.

Sadly, it was shortly after the time that his friend, Tom Webb, was tragically killed in Derby city centre.

Mr Gillespie said: “It felt like an intense analysis of me.

“I think emotionally, it was trying to pick up what I was feeling.

“At the time, it had only been three weeks since my friend had been stabbed. I think it just wanted to know how I felt around that time.”

Derbyshire Live contacted the British UFO Research Organisation about the incident but a spokesperson declined to comment.

Mr Gillespie said, even four years on, it still gives him and his friends the creeps.

He said: “We’ve spoken about it extensively since - we still talk about it now.”

Have you experienced anything strange or peculiar in Derby that beats Mr Gillespie's tale? Email george.allen@reachplc.com or send a WhatsApp message to +447547192624.