Copyright dailystar
A woman who purchased the 'UK's most haunted' doll disclosed how he continues to make her existence a 'living hell' - yet she's chosen to confront his possessed companions . Candice Collins has placed herself in 'harm's way' to prevent these dolls and cursed artefacts from wreaking further havoc. The 43 year old, from Cornwall, now proudly possesses a newspaper documenting the Salem witch trials, one of only two copies existing worldwide. She also houses a painting depicting a weeping boy that brings "extreme bad luck", alongside a doll resembling a human child imprisoned within. While she believed Norman tormented her existence, circumstances have deteriorated further. "I constantly hear whispers and have the feeling that we're being watched," Candice told What's The Jam. "I've had a few nightmares, such as being followed by something up the road and then the street lamps go out one-by-one until it's pitch black. "And the sound of dolls' footsteps coming up behind me, where I start running and I keep going faster as it gets closer to me. I always end up knocking on someone's door asking for help to get me away. "I've also seen lots of black shadows out the corner of my eyes and the smell of cigar smoke, as well as lights flickering. And I do get bad headaches whenever I'm near the items, coupled with dizziness and feeling sick "Some of the dolls aren't in the same place they were stored, either. It's like they're getting out of their boxes and are ready to tell their story about being frustrated with being locked away." Candice, who operates a paranormal investigation group called Cornish Ghost Whispers, purchased Norman from his former owner, Christian Hawksworth. Christian claims to have endured a string of misfortune, including a burst appendix, being shot and his car brakes giving out after acquiring the toy for £3 from eBay. To break free from the curse, he sold the doll to its next victim, Candice, who seized the opportunity to buy him for £200 after being drawn to his cherubic features, fair hair and striped top. Within just a few weeks, mysterious sounds began to emerge, including a sinister cackle and the mother experienced a severe deterioration in her wellbeing. While she's witnessed him shifting in his glass case and chuckling, it hasn't deterred her from building up a remarkable collection of the haunted. She explained: "I would rather put myself in the firing line than anyone else. As far as bad luck goes, sometimes things go wrong – and I can't be 100% it's paranormal – but I guess I'll find out in the near future. "I've got some famous gargoyles from the most haunted house in the UK that I snapped up at auction. They've been at the centre of many investigations and seances over the years. "The newspaper clipping I have from the Salem witch trials is so rare – the only other one in the world is at the dedicated museum. "It dates back to 1693 and whenever I read it, I feel like fainting. Everyone knows the story behind the crying boy painting; if you have this on your wall, you're sure to have your house burned down. "It comes with another curse of extreme bad luck – the lady I bought it from questioned me so many times before handing it over because it's so evil. Things are still up in the air with Norman, but I still hear him whispering in the garden room and sometimes it makes the hairs on my neck stand up. "I know he's waiting for me to come back to unleash his fury as I've had him locked up for almost a year now." Candice also possesses a sinister clown ventriloquist dummy from America named Clive, who's notorious for his eerie presence and has been witnessed shifting about independently. Additional pieces feature a dybbuk witchcraft container discovered using a metal detector in woodland renowned for paranormal activity, plus a Devil's ring that was hastily donated to a charity shop at a financial loss following claims its former owner perished whilst wearing it. She explained: "There is something very dangerous and dark about it. I can feel evil coming from it, so I keep it behind glass. "The young man who bought it is said to have had things turn really dark for him ever since he started wearing it. "His whole personality changed and months later, it's alleged he was found dead from a blood clot in the finger he was wearing the ring on." She dreams of transforming her supernatural collection into a public museum someday for paranormal investigation purposes. However, for the time being, she's carrying on with removing these cursed objects from circulation and bringing them into her home to safeguard others. Her most chilling discovery? A doll that resembles a real person. Candice added: "The living boy dummy is so interesting to look at. He looks almost alive with his human-like hands and face. It's said he's haunted and people hear footsteps running around while he whispers to you, begging to break free. "He's never in the same place I last put him and he reminds me of the film The Boy. He's a real life haunted boy with no way out. "I also have a very disturbing statue from an artist who said he started having very bad nightmares and became quite paranoid. "He said the statue was talking to him, saying dark things, and legend has it that he became possessed and took his own life. "There's blood scattered on it and I won't wash it off as I'm too afraid of what might happen. But they are amazing pieces of history – some dark, some positive and some rare. "[I hope] other paranormal investigators will be able to work with them and learn about what possesses these items, [as well as] finding out the story about each and every soul trapped inside. "I wouldn't trust any of these things around children. And I'm inclined to keep them locked up forever. "If I unleash them into the public, who knows what disastrous things could happen."
