FELLOWSHIP MAN DIES AFTER SWIM IN FARM'S DANGER WELL

Source : 01/10/1986 Northampton Chronicle and Echo

A Jesus Fellowship member drowned while swimming in a well which was virtually impossible to climb out of, despite being warned not to do so, an inquest heard today.

The Inquest at Northampton, was told Fellowship members at the sect's New Creation Farm near Bugbrooke had told Mohammad Majid that the well there was dangerous and warned him not to go near it.

But he was an erratic personality and often broke the sect rules. On one occasion he had been found by police running down a motorway, claiming he was on a mission surrounded by angels.

His body was found in the murky well water last June after he had gone to swim without telling anyone.

Pathologist Dr. John Clark said Majid of Sect lodgings at Church Street, Pattishall, died from asphyxia due to drowning.

Dr. Amitabha Bhattacharyya told the inquest Majid had a history of psychiatric problems, and had suffered from acute psychosis.

He said: 'Police once found him jogging down the motorway having very bizarre thoughts - he said he was on a mission to Greece and that he was in communication with angels, who were surrounding him.'

Mr. Ian Hemming, who described himself as Majid's 'minder' from the sect, told the inquest: 'He had difficulty adapting to our way of life. He found it difficult adapting to our discipline and some of our ways.'

'He had been told off on a number of occasions for his lack of control.'

Mr. Hemming added that Majid has sometimes been depressed about trouble with his family and his wife, who he had been married to in the Moslem faith.

He said Majid once said he wanted to swim in the well, but he had warned him against it, and called him 'stupid' and told him not to go anywhere near it.

He said on the morning before his death, Majid had been acting erratically and had thrown a scythe, which narrowly missed him.

Mr. Hemming said later that day Majid went missing and after he suspected he had been swimming in the well, the alarm was raised.

A service engineer working for the sect, told the inquest he had also warned Majid not to swim in the well.

He said he was so worried Majid might do so, he looked for a padlock for a trap door over the well and made a phone call to some of the sect organisers to warn them of Majid's behaviour.

Fire Officer David Robus said the body was found after the well was emptied.

Police Inspector Arthur Towell said the opening to the well was only 14 inches square and 20 inches diagonally.

He said Majid would have had great difficulty getting out of it because his shoulders measured 19 inches.

Coroner Michael Collcutt described the circumstances as 'bizarre' and said that past inquests involving members of the cult had indicated they were often unreliable witnesses, but added that was not necessarily the case in this instance.

He recorded a verdict of accidental death on Majid.