Alien Abduction Case Investigated: Lost Time and Hypnotic Memory Retrieval
Police Constable Alan Godfrey's Alien Encounter in Todmorden, 1980
On a chilly November morning in 1980, Alan Godfrey, a police constable patrolling Todmorden, West Yorkshire, experienced an event that would forever change his life. As he drove down Burnley Road, he spotted a mysterious, diamond-shaped object hovering just five feet above the ground.
In an interview from the 1980s, Godfrey recounted the eerie sight, describing the object as metallic and spinning counter-clockwise. As he approached, his radio failed, and he experienced a period of lost time. When he came to, he found himself 30 yards down the road, the object vanished, and a dry spot on the ground where no rain had fallen.
The incident left Godfrey baffled and shaken. He filed a report about the encounter, which was later reported in the news. The event became one of the best-known UFO cases in the UK and is considered the first documented alien abduction within the United Kingdom.
In the aftermath, Godfrey underwent hypnotic regression several months later to recover his lost memories. Under hypnosis, he recounted being taken aboard the UFO by small humanoid beings. He described entering a brightly lit room inside the craft, where he felt immobilized and observed the beings performing some kind of procedure or examination upon him.
In the room, Godfrey encountered a tall, bearded man named Yosef (or Josef), who wore a white gown and a "skull cap." Eight small robots or creatures were present, their oddly-shaped heads and the removal of Godfrey's shoes during the examination adding to the alien atmosphere. Yosef communicated with Godfrey telepathically and performed physical examinations on him.
The hypnotic sessions revealed further details of the encounter, including impressions of the craft's interior and the appearance of the alien entities. However, no clear "end" was revealed during the sessions; Godfrey just woke up and it was over. Upon returning to the police station, he noticed his boot sole was split and the time was off by at least fifteen minutes.
Godfrey's experience profoundly affected him, leading to years of reflection and occasional public recounting of the event. Despite the controversy around hypnotic regression reliability, his case is notable for the combination of physical evidence (radio failure, lost time) and detailed post-event recall.
Interestingly, one month after Godfrey's experience, servicemen at RAF Woodbridge encountered an unidentified object within Rendlesham Forest. One of the men received a telepathic message, possibly from time travelers. This incident, known as the Rendlesham Forest Incident, is another well-known UFO case in the UK.
The Mirror has images of Godfrey and a sketch he made of the alleged craft. The incident at Todmorden remains a fascinating and intriguing part of UFO literature and media, serving as a testament to the enduring allure of unexplained phenomena.
In light of the strange encounter, one might ponder if pop-culture phenomena like sci-fi-and-fantasy have roots in real-life events such as these. Perhaps, sports fans discussing the latest odds in sports-betting could also speculate about the possibilities of extraterrestrial life and associated UFO encounters.
