The 1987 Ilkley Moor "Alien" Photograph -A Hoax?

I have very serious doubts regarding the 'Philip Spencer' Ilkley Moor 'alien' photo.

Jenny Randles, looking at the photos only saw one image of the alien "as might be expected if a model had been used". If only one photo you suspect a model as it would be in one static pose and checking images would show the lack of pose change.

I have been trying to trace the "journalist friend" of Peter Hough who was brought in to...uh, operate the tape recorder but I can find no trace of him. I can find no trace of a news item written by such a reporter especially of the "scoop" alien photo story -anyone know any different?

According to the account Philip Spencer (a pseudonym) had moved from London to remote West Yorkshire with his wife and child in order to be closer to his wife's family following his retirement from the police force. On the morning of 1st December, 1987, Spencer began a  walk across Ilkley Moor to visit his father-in-law in East Morton and had taken a camera with him as well as a compass - in case there was fog.

 Spencer says that he was walking up a small hill when he noticed an odd-looking figure just up the trail ahead of him; it was dark green and about four feet tall with an oversized head and long, thin arms. This entity made a gesture at Spencer, which he took to be a gesture telling him to stay away and so he took out his camera and took a picture of it. The entity then ran away and Spencer followed but lost it in the fog but he then saw a craft rise from the moor and disappear into the sky. He described the craft as being of a whitish colour and consisted of two saucer shaped parts that were attached, with one being on top of the other. There was also a loud hum. Spencer did not take a photograph of the craft which seems a little odd.

Rather than continue with his planned route, Spencer headed to another town that was about a half hour away so that he could get his film developed but when he arrived thre he discovered that it was about two hours later in the day than he expected it to be.  He also noticed the compass that he had taken with him was pointed in the opposite direction than it should have been.

In the days following the incident, Spencer made contact with UFO researchers Jenny Randles and Peter Hough. Hough claimed to have been “extremely sceptical” at first but later came to believe Spencer.  The retired policeman handed over the copyright of the photo to Hough.   Although the story quickly made the news Spencer insisted on keeping his anonymity and various write-ups of the case have made it clear that Spencer did not make any money from the story.

As well as examining the site, Hough examined the sighting area and Phillip Mantle and Andy Roberts also did so. Hough then sent the photograph to a number of experts; a wildlife photographer who examined the photograph said that it was not of any known animal. Experts from the Kodak laboratory in Hemel Hempstead said that they could not detect any evidence of tampering. The veteran US Navy optics expert and ufologist, Bruce Maccabee, concluded that the photograph was “too grainy for proper testing”. Which is not an understatement!

According to ufologist/cryptozoologist/paranormalist Nick Redfern, Spencer was hassled by the Ministry of Defence a few days after the incident on the moor. He says that they opened a file on Spencer and sent two Men in black to his home to intimidate him into silence. At the time that this was claimed I was in contact with the MoD who told me “No. Not us” and stated that the photo seemed to show a toy and that would be of no “Defence interest in a toy doll”.

I have to admit that this aspect of the report, to me, sounds highly dubious. Any MoD or RAF identification would have to have the bearer’s name –did Spencer forget the names? Also there are ways to check whether certain people are from the military services or MoD but I have read nothing about checks being carried out.

It was while the photograph was away and being examined that Spencer claimed that he experienced strange dreams. This he reported to Hough who advised that he undergo regression hypnosis. This Spencer agreed to and hypnosis was carried out by Jim Singleton on 16^th  March 1988. Under hypnosis Spencer's original account of the incident changed dramatically and  Singleton has called it a “genuine recall”. I can find no information on Singleton or his qualifications so “take my word for it!”

Under hypnosis Spencer recalled that on seeing the entity on the hill he was instantly paralysed and then lifted up a few feet and pulled into the craft. When he entered the craft a voice told him to be calm and a group of green aliens then performed medical experiments on him and inserting items into his nose and mouth. Spencer was then  given a tour of the craft  and “shown a film”. This “film” showed apocalyptic imagery, including nuclear explosions, famines and floods. Spencer was then shown a second film the contents of which he has never revealed - saying that the aliens who abducted him do not want humanity to know.

Following this abduction Spencer was returned to Ilkley Moor and it was now that he took the  photograph and claimed that the entity was actually waving goodbye to him and not telling him to stay away (as in his original account).

The Ilkley Moor incident did generate headlines in the UK at the time and is said, by some, to remain “one of the country's most famous UFO sightings”. Nick Pope, a retired Ministry of Defence desk clerk included this event in a 2011 list of "Top 10 UFO incidents in the UK".  Some have labelled it as “one of the most persuasive UFO incidents to ever occur”.

On the other side of the debate sceptics have claimed that the whole incident is a hoax and that the photograph is so blurry that it is far from proof of any alien visitors to Earth. They have argued that the “alien” in the photograph could easily be a man or a cardboard cut-out. Sceptics have also asked why Spencer did not take a photograph of the craft and noted that such a photograph would be more difficult to fake. Sceptics have also dismissed the supposed physical evidence of the broken compass, saying that it is easy to manually wreck compasses.

People can argue back and forth for decades on this photo -and they have. But it is worth noting that Spencer has never spoken to anyone outside of the group of Ufologists mentioned. John Hanson, a retired Police CID detective attempted to contact Spencer but failed. I tried but if the Ufologists are uncooperative there is not much of a chance and with a false name Spencer could not be trace. As I was working with UK police forces at the time I did ask whether any Metropolitan Police officer who had moved up North could be traced but with no real name that proved fruitless.

There are far too many questions that need answering and after many years of trying to find more information for inclusion in the Archive nothing has been forthcoming.  I classify this report as Low as there is too much suspicion of a hoax and until such a time as Ufologists cooperate; the retirement age for Constables and Sergeants in the 1980s (in the Met) was 55 and if that was the age Spencer retired at then he would be around 88 years old now if still alive. One would assume that it would be safe to reveal the true identity of the man IF a genuine report.

End note: there is one Ufologist whiner who jumps on to comments when I post anything he does not like and I assume this post will be no different....except this time he will receive a life time ban.