The Todmorden Encounter
On a rainy night patrol, a police constable came upon a huge glowing object hovering over the road. The road beneath it was dry.
What was reported
In the early hours of 28 November 1980, police constable Alan Godfrey was driving through Todmorden looking for a reported herd of loose cattle when he saw a large, glowing, diamond-shaped object hovering just above the road ahead. He sketched it from his car.
Suddenly, he said, he found himself further down the road with the object gone, and about 15 minutes he couldn't account for. The road where the object had hovered was dry, though it had been raining. Later, under hypnosis, he described being taken aboard.
Explanations offered
Sceptics suggest he saw a bus or another vehicle lit up in the rain, and point to the unreliability of hypnosis. Godfrey, an experienced officer, has always said he saw something real, though he has been cautious about the hypnosis memories.
- When
- 28 November 1980
- Where
- Todmorden, West Yorkshire, England
- Witnesses
- Police constable Alan Godfrey
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.