Going to court is not normally a pleasant event; but for some, it’s downright spooky. In fact, there have been reports of ghost sightings and other paranormal activity in some NSW courts.
‘John’, resident ghost of Casino Local Court
Casino, a small town in Northern NSW, is supposedly haunted by resident ghost ‘John.’
The registrar of the Casino Local Court has reported “funny things” happening inside the courthouse, such as items being moved or going missing without explanation.
‘John’ reportedly enjoys turning the lights on and off, locking doors and taking workers tools – an apparent protest against the renovations being undertaken last year at the courthouse, built in 1882.
Registrar Wendy Durheim joked, “We believe it may be a registrar who died here on the job… I had a serious talk with the ghost to say, we need these renovations so he/she would just have to accept them.”
Intrigued, The Northern Star spoke with Rick Burden, founder of Ghost Hunters of Australia, who said:
“Sounds like a lot of cool things happen there… He [John] is a very mysterious person, and does not like the idea of the place having work done to it… He is also very frustrated as no one is communicating with him – ‘everyone is ignoring me’… I get the feeling he passed away in the building but that he doesn’t know he is dead… He thinks he is very much still alive.”
Although Mr Burden asked permission of the NSW Attorney General’s Department to investigate, and offered to do it for free, the Department politely declined his generous offer.
The Berrima axe murderer
John may be the only ghost at Casino Local Court, but in Berrima, it’s a different story. The old stone courthouse, built in 1835, is now a museum and no longer hears cases, but is reportedly occupied by several ghosts.
The building is apparently haunted by axe murderer Lucretia Dunkley, who along with her lover, murdered Dunkley’s husband. Mrs Dunkley was sentenced to death, and is the only female to be hanged in the adjoining prison.
Ghost hunter Lee Besford says: “We’ve heard doors slamming, voices, and you’ll probably feel the presence as you go in.”
Ghosts of Goulburn’s past
The Goulburn Courthouse is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in the town. Under the courthouse itself is a tunnel directly from the former Police Station.
It is located close to where public hangings once took place. One such victim of the noose was Mary Ann Brownlow, who was hung in 1854, and some employees believes she still haunts the place.
The building was constructed in the 1880s by famed colonial architect James Barnet, who designed many NSW court houses.
The Old Newcastle Courthouse
The Newcastle legal precinct was recently relocated, with shiny new courtrooms and state of the art facilities replacing the old, outdated legal hub.
Perhaps this is for the best, as the old Newcastle District courthouse was reportedly a hotbed of paranormal activity, with jurors feeling as if they were being watched from upstairs during trials, and noticing the rattling of doors and cold spots throughout the building.
One juror even reported seeing a ghost – describing the female figure sitting in the public gallery with a pillbox, hat and gloves, hands folded in her lap.
It is said that the fourth row on the left hand side of the courtroom gallery was the favourite meeting spot for the ghosts who haunt the building.
But ghosts are not restricted to the courtrooms – they are even reported to have forced defendants to commit the criminal driving offences that brought them to court in the first place!
One Newcastle man caught driving at 180km/hr tried to excuse his actions by telling the court that he was trying to conjure up the Lemon Tree Passage Ghost, who is rumoured to appear as a ghostly bright light in the rear windscreen of cars travelling at dangerously high speeds.
The ghost is said to be that of a 20-year-old who was killed while riding his motorcycle when a speeding driver hit him.
But a police spokeswoman shot down the claim, saying “we want speeding drivers to know that the only bright light they’ll be seeing in their rear windows will be the red and blue lights of a police car.”
So if you’re ever in a NSW court, make sure you respect both the magistrate and the locals.
I was the registrar at Balmain Court House about 10 years ago. I never believed Courts could be haunted (except the really old ones where executions occurred like Richmond) One night, I was working late in the empty building when I heard heavy footsteps above my head on the first floor which went all the way from one end to the other and back again. I couldn’t get out quick enough and never, ever stayed there after dark again.