In 1980, Yorkshire policeman Alan Godfrey claimed he was abducted by aliens. RICK HALE looks back on this fascinating case.
Since the beginning of the modern UFO era in 1947, there have been several people who have made a rather absurd sounding claim.
These people have reported being forcibly taken aboard a UFO and being subjected to bizarre medical procedures, that leave the alleged abductee feeling physically violated.
For the most part, researchers into these reports approach these claims with a healthy dose of scepticism. And, rightly so.
For every one case of a true encounter with alien beings, there are an overabundance of cases that can be chalked up to hoaxers, weird dreams and the mentally ill.
However, what do they do when a report of alien abduction comes from a highly-trained and highly-skilled observer of the natural world, such as a police officer?
The curious case of the abduction of West Yorkshire police constable, Alan Godfrey is one such case.
The Inexplicable Death of Zigmund Adamski
On the morning of 11 June 1980, Alan Godfrey, a decorated constable with the West Yorkshire Metropolitan police force, was dispatched to Todmorden to investigate a corpse discovered atop a coal heap.
When he arrived, he was greeted by a foreman who said the body wasn’t there when he drove passed the heap moments earlier.
According to the bewildered foreman, it was as if the body just materialised out of thin air.
When Godfrey inspected the body his first instinct was to call it a homicide. But, the coroner was the person to make that determination.
Murder? Or Something more?
When the body was brought to the coroner’s office, it was identified as 56-year-old Zigmund Adamski.
Adamski was a local miner, who five days previously was reported missing when he didn’t return from a shopping trip.
The coroner informed Godfrey that it appeared Adamski perished from a heart attack. Perhaps after receiving a fright.
Godfrey, who was known for his keen investigative skills, flatly disagreed with the coroner’s report.
To the police constable, there were certain signs that convinced him foul play was at work.
First, the body looked as if it was placed atop the heap by another party.
Second, Adamski was wearing a top coat with no shirt. A middle-aged man wouldn’t go shopping without wearing a shirt.
And lastly, Adamski had odd burns on his neck that appeared to be covered with gelatinous substance.
When the coroner had the substance tested he was stupefied by the results of the test.
Whatever the substance that covered the victim’s neck could not be found in any database.
Godfrey could tell he had a true mystery on his hands. Only he didn’t know that mystery would soon ensnare him.
Alan Godfrey’s Encounter
The bizarre circumstances surrounding the death of Zigmund Adamski haunted Alan Godfrey, even months after the discovery of the body.
Something truly strange happened to Zigmund Adamski and Alan Godfrey would soon find of what that something was. A something that defied logic.
While on patrol in Todmorden, Alan Godfrey was dispatched to search for a herd of cattle that inexplicably vanished.
As he drove his patrol car slowly down a country lane, he brought his car to an abrupt halt when his eyes met a bizarre sight.
Hovering silently five feet over the road was a diamond shaped craft that emitted bright flashing lights.
When Godfrey came to his senses he tried to radio his sighting in but was met with nothing but a strange whining and static sound.
And then the flying craft just vanished leaving the constable with the eerie feeling that something beyond reason just occurred.
Understandable Reluctance
At the first, Godfrey felt that it would probably be in his best interest to keep his encounter to himself.
Afterall, to report an encounter with little green men could turn him into a laughingstock. And his colleagues on the force might think he had lost his mind.
Nevertheless, Godfrey could not shake the feeling that something more than just merely seeing a flying saucer had occurred that night.
He still couldn’t quite understand why he could not account for 25 minutes. Not to mention his boot being split and the itchy sensation in his foot.
Additional Eyewitnesses
The mystified, and somewhat terrified, police constable was finally inspired to report his encounter upon discovering others had seen the diamond shaped craft that night.
According to reports from the surrounding area five other police officers, local residents and a lorry driver had witnessed the craft.
Unfortunately for Godfrey, his superiors didn’t share in his enthusiasm to share his encounter.
So, Godfrey was given a choice, either retire or be sectioned out of the police.
Not wanting to be considered a madman, Godfrey took the upper road and retired from the job that he loved more than life itself.
Despite being forced to retire, Alan Godfrey remained determined to understand the strange incident that altered his life in such an undesirable way.
Godfrey Agrees to Regressive Hypnotherapy
A year after the incident, Alan Godfrey agreed to undergo regressive hypnotherapy.
He was convinced this was the only way to get to the bottom of the mystery that had consumed his life.
While under hypnosis, Godfrey, was able to recall getting out of his patrol car and approached the craft.
When he got within a few feet, a beam of light shot out hitting him squarely in the chest.
He remembered feeling the sensation of weightlessness as he was brought into the craft. And then everything went dark.
When he awakened, he found himself lying on an exam table and an oddly human looking man with a beard stood at the end of the bed staring down at him.
According to Godfrey the man spoke to him telepathically and told him to lie still and everything would be fine.
Just then eight short beings with lightbulb shaped heads and large black eyes rushed in and began a series of medical examinations.
Godfrey reported that the beings fixed an injury he sustained years earlier when he was severely beaten by a group of suspects he attempted to arrest.
The beings brought their examinations of Alan Godfrey to an end when he began to experience a great deal of stress. They told him they feared he might have a heart attack.
The abduction of police constable Alan Godfrey is considered by many in the field of UFOlogy as being England’s first legitimate case of alien abduction.
To this day, Godfrey believes that his abduction was directly related to the abduction and subsequent death of Zigmund Adamski.
I’m inclined to believe Alan Godfrey’s strange story. As well as his theory.
Read more about UFOs over England here.
