'Haunted' doll hates men, claims owner

  • 07/08/2017
The doll.
The doll. Photo credit: ITV

A "haunted" doll could end up back on the market after allegedly attacking its new owner.

The Victorian doll was originally bought on eBay for £5 by British couple Debbie and Cameron Merrick. But they decided to get rid of it after Mr Merrick found tiny scratches on his arm, which he claims the doll caused, reports UK tabloid The Sun.

"I woke up in the morning and I had a shower as usual," he told ITV's This Morning last month. "I looked down and there was a dozen or so scratches on my knee."

The couple don't have a cat and Mr Merrick says his short nails couldn't have made the scratches. They both claim to have heard a "swishing noise" come from the box the dolls arrived in, before they had even been opened.

Lee Steer, who claims to be a paranormal investigator, saw the couple's appearance on the show. He won a tough bidding war, buying the doll for £866. But he now wishes he hadn't.

"My dad was downstairs in the morning, at this point the doll was still packed away, and he heard like a tapping noise on wood," Mr Steer told The Sun.

Later that day he was watching the repeat of one of our live streams with the doll. Then he said to my mum, 'My arm's hurting.' He lifted up his sleeve and he had six scratches on his arm."

He also claims lights have flickered on and off since he got the doll, things get mysteriously broken and pictures have started swinging on the walls.

"I was so glad when the doll went, to be honest," said Ms Merrick.

"It was a real shocker when Lee messaged me to say his dad had been scratched too. I wasn't surprised when he opened it live and was getting flickering lights."

Viewers of ITV's This Morning widely mocked the Merricks when they appeared on the show, accusing them of making it all up for a quick buck.

Mr Steer is definitely trying to cash in - hosting livestreams with the doll, and putting it in his 'Haunted Objects Museum' next to his bed.

He says the doll named itself 'Samantha' using a random word app, and has an "innate hatred of men".

"I know people are mocking the whole thing but I think the fact Lee's dad was scratched too just goes to there is something going on with that doll," Ms Merrick said.

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