Anyone who grew up watching Scooby Doo has a vision of ghost-hunters tip-toeing their way through dilapidated mansions, abandoned fairgrounds and neglected dockyards. In fairness to Mystery Inc, the teenage detectives usually have some vague justification for their presence, but this is not always the case with real life paranormal investigators. It is a comparatively common problem for over enthusiastic searchers to get into trouble with both Criminal and Civil Law, entering or remaining on land when they have no right to do so.
For example, in August 2023, police in Wyoming were called to a vacant property, when a neighbour reported what seemed to be a suspicious looking vehicle outside. Two men and a woman were found inside the would-be Mystery Machine. The group explained that they had heard that the house was empty and reputed to be haunted, so they had gone to peer through the windows to see if they could spot any signs of spirits. By this stage, the owner had confirmed that nobody had permission to be on the property, and they were duly removed. The police noted K-9 Duke, the police dog attending, had not alerted to the presence of any ghosts.
This particular incident seems to have caused more amusement than harm, as there were no hurt people, and no damage was done to any property, but unfortunately, this is not always the case. As Richard Case, an English researcher into supernatural phenomena, pointed out, uninvited investigators may cause considerable distress to other people by their activities, and put themselves at risk of injury, clambering around unsafe environments in the dark.
Furthermore, the popularity of TV shows and You Tube channels dedicated to ghost-hunting has led to more and more people taking up this hobby. Needless to say, this in and of itself is perfectly legitimate, because amateur Carnackis and Jonathan Creeks have as much right to their fun as people who enjoy cycling, birdwatching, crocheting or whatever else takes their fancy. The problem is that whenever a community of human beings undertake any activity, a percentage of them (usually a small minority) will do so in an irresponsible way.
Unquestionably, causing physical harm to other people’s property with have legal repercussions in almost any situation, but what about simply being in a place without permission or justification? The answer is going to depend very much upon the jurisdiction in which it happens, and the nature of the land entered. If the area is especially sensitive, whether for practical reasons (e.g. it is a military base, or an ancient heritage site in need of conservation) or social and cultural ones (e.g. it is a graveyard and disrespectful treatment may cause distress), then the consequences are likely to be especially serious. In those circumstances, criminal sanctions are much a stronger possibility than if a group of curious people simply hop the fence of a reputedly haunted park after hours.
Moreover, context is important where private property is concerned. Some homeowners delight in having a haunted house, and are keen to show visitors around, although of course some proprietors in this category may want to charge an entrance fee and make a financial profit from this. Such people are likely to be less than thrilled about would be paranormal detectives sneaking in for free! Equally other owners of haunted buildings may find tales of the undead upsetting, or simply private souls who not appreciate all of the attention.
In England and Wales, trespass to land is usually a tort (civil wrong), rather than a crime, but it is actionable per se, meaning that a property owner can sue someone simply for entering without permission, or remaining longer than allowed (e.g. if a ghost-hunter brought a ticket to visit a ruined castle which closed at 5.30pm, but deliberately stayed after hours in the hope of encountering a famous grey lady or headless horseman).
It is also worth bearing in mind that if ghost-hunters behave in a way that interferes with the freedom enjoy their land, or obstructs the public from enjoyment of rights common to all, then the torts of private or public nuisance may come into play (the latter may also be a criminal offence). This means that urban (or indeed rural) explorers do not even have to enter property in order to be sued. If you are organising “ghost tours”, which are bringing hoards of noisy visitors and shining lights in a property on a regular basis, or blocking a public road with coaches, or a crowd of sight-seers wanting to peer in at a family in an allegedly poltergeist infested home, then action could be successfully taken against you.
We should also note in passing that the Occupiers Liability Act 1984 allows even trespassers to sue for injury in certain circumstances, so exasperated owners of reputedly haunted property cannot deliberately set traps to catch paranormal sleuths known to be invading after nightfall. Nevertheless, in this case the defendant is only responsible to guard the trespasser against risks which, in all of the circumstances, they might reasonably be expected to offer some protection (Occupiers Liability Act 1984 s3(c)). In practical terms, if you break into the remains of an abbey at night, hoping to see ghost monks, and trip over the stonework or a rabbit hole, neither the courts nor anybody else is likely to be sympathetic if you end up with an ankle in plaster.
The bottom line is that ghost-hunting is not an essential activity that justifies violating somebody else’s property rights. Unless it is done with the landowner’s consent, paranormal investigators may have more than globules of flying ectoplasm to worry about!
Related References
‘Ghost-hunters’ Trespassed from Abandoned Natrona County Home, Oil City News (14 August 2023) https://oilcity.news/crime/2023/08/14/ghost-hunters-trespassed-from-abandoned-natrona-county-home/
Paranormal Researcher’s Message to Ghost-hunters who Trespass Graveyards and Spooky Buildings, Bristol Post (5 May 2021) https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/paranormal-researchers-message-ghost-hunters-5376995
