Promoting Hoaxtead for fun and profit

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been discussing our views on who started the Hampstead cult hoax, when the hoax began, and who stood to gain from it.

Today, we’ll take a look at who helped publicise the case, and why.

We’ve already mentioned Belinda’s call to arms in June 2014. Because she asked people to contact her by post rather than email, there’s unlikely to be an electronic trail, but judging by who showed up to the Hampstead Hoax party when it kicked off the following November, we can make a few educated guesses.

Charlotte Alton Ward

We know that Charlotte, later to become ‘Jacqui Farmer’ of the infamous Hamster Research blog, lived with Belinda for a year or so at her home in Highgate.

Charlotte had attained a certain modest level of fame in the conspiritainment field by co-writing an academic paper on the topic of ‘conspirituality’ (anyone else getting tired of all the ‘con-‘ words yet?), and attending a Real Grown-up Academic Conference with her co-author. On this basis, she launched a blog called (surprise!) Conspirituality, in which she purported to use Google keyword analytics to illustrate that conspiracy theories were becoming the new religion around the world.

But when Charlotte heard Belinda’s clarion call, she turned it all over—dumped the blog, changed her name, disguised her voice, and became ‘Jacqui’. Oh, and to cement the identity shift, she wrote a book under her new name: Illuminati Party is a cautionary tale describing her journey from ‘nice middle class girl’ to ‘benefits scrounger and small-time fraud artist’, in the name of evading the Evil Illuminati Overlords. Or something.

Safely ensconced in Parimaribo, Suriname, Charlotte would parlay her very minor writing ability and confabulatory research skills into her new role as the blog-mistress of record for the Hampstead hoax.

Angela Power-Disney

The minute news of the hoax hit the internet, Angela Power-Disney was ready, aye, ready!

As one of our readers mentioned yesterday, Angie was perfectly cast in the role of ‘wrinkled trusted retainer’: her fading good looks and her folksy, chain-smoking, conversational on-screen persona would make her an excellent ‘face’ for Charlotte’s Hamster Research blog.

With her links to the UK UFO community (in which Belinda was a leading light), as well as her devout if idiosyncratic evangelical Christian faith (she’s constantly ‘praying over’ decisions), and her utter conviction that anyone wealthier than she is must be ‘up to something’, Angie quickly became a recognisable face in a long string of ‘fireside chat’-style videos, where she’d back up the allegations made on Charlotte’s blog…along with a few inventions of her own.

Unlike Charlotte, who has faded into relative obscurity following the demise of Hamster Research as well as the Sooper Seekrit Facebook Groop™ she helped found, Angie has just kept on plugging, good little foot-soldier that she is.

In fact, she’s one of the very few remaining Hoaxtead pushers, the rest having moved on to more profitable endeavours. We must assume that Belinda’s cheques haven’t started bouncing yet.

Alfred Lambremont Webre

Basset-jowled Alfred is a U.S.-born, Canada-based UFO believer, 9/11 truther, and conspiracy crank. Although he was formerly besties with Kevin Annett (who has links with Belinda, Araya, Neelu, and Penny ‘Dowser’ Pullen, just for starters), the two split up at around the time Hoaxtead was officially launched in January 2015, and Alfred won first dibs at coveted online interviews with Sabine, and then with Ella.

In fact, it seems that Alfred scooped Brian Gerrish, who’d originally turned his nose up at Abe and Ella’s story, before rushing to embrace it once he saw which way the wind was blowing in February 2015.

Most recently, Alfred gave Hoaxtead one last college try, allowing Abe to participate in one of his panel discussions. It did not go well, and we wonder whether Alfred is now regretting having let Belinda drag him into this thing.

Profit motive?

Back in the heady days of Hoaxtead demonstrations outside the Royal Courts of Justice and Christ Church, rumours flew thick about which of the protesters were being paid by Belinda.

Certain regulars were referred to as ‘hamburger’ people, as it was known that Belinda would reward them for showing up to pump up her numbers, by taking them to the nearest McDonald’s (we assume not the baby-frying ones) for a hamburger once the festivities had concluded.

Other members of Team Belinda, though, have confided to members of our group that they were at various times in receipt of a retainer, paid out in acknowledgement of services rendered. Was this the case with the Hoaxtead propaganda crew?

As with Belinda’s original call to action, unless or until we find evidence in the form of cancelled cheques, we cannot make any direct accusations. We can only observe that certain of Belinda’s people seem to have gone far above and beyond the call of duty, pumping out hate mail, harassing and defamatory blog posts, video interviews, and the like…almost as though this were a full-time job.