Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Bishop told flock they’d ‘drop dead’ from Covid if they didn’t purchase his bogus £91 protection kits

Bishop told flock they’d ‘drop dead’ from Covid if they didn’t purchase his bogus £91 protection kits

A preacher who sold bogus £91 kits to keep Covid at bay warned his flock that they could die if they didn’t purchase them, a court has heard.
Bishop Climate Wiseman, 47, who preaches at the Kingdom Church in Camberwell, south London, claimed the kits could cure coronavirus and prevent people from contracting the illness.

The faith healer has gone on trial accused of one count of fraud and two counts of engaging in unfair commercial practice over the year between March 23 2020 and March 24 2021.

He claimed his mixture, which is made from cedarwood, hyssop oil and olive oil, had cured at least ten people who had the respiratory virus and said investigators probing him were “the antichrist”, the Independent reported.

Jurors were told supporters could buy kits through the bishopclimateblog.com, prophet-climate.com, and prophetclimate.net by signing a Prayer Agreement Form.

They could also use the form to make donations without buying the kits.

In a blog, Bishop Wiseman said that by using the mixture, the ingredients would “act like an invisible barrier” and that the virus "and any other deadly thing” would pass over the user, prosecutors said.

Inner London Crown Court heard the kits were considerably more expensive than other items on offer, and that his sales pitches were all motivated by money.

In an instructional video, he said that people with Covid-19 should put their head under a towel over which some boiling water imbued with the oil had been poured.

He claimed the mixture kills the virus because it “can’t stand the power of the oil” and said after inhalation, Covid is coughed out of the body and simply dies.

He urged faithful viewers to purchase the kits as soon as possible or they “may end up dropping dead.”

Testimonial videos claimed a woman with a high temperature and no sense of taste felt “much better” after drinking some of it, and that a family had been cleared of any coronavirus symptoms which had “completely disappeared.”

He also claimed on his website that a woman who was so ill that she called paramedics was cured after a friend of hers gave her the oil and that a nurse in Yorkshire who'd taken it recovered after just three days.

Trading standards from Southwark Council were first made aware of the so-called cure on 24 March 2020, the first full day of the first lockdown.

The product was being advertised on bishopclimateblog.com.

On 31 March they contacted Bishop Wiseman and asked him to remove any mention of the supposed coronavirus-curing powers of the kits.

Some of the claims were taken out but he still claimed that the kits offered “divine protection during the coronavirus plague”.

His church in south London was also being investigated by the Charity Commission, which was investigating the Kingdom Church GB, a charity Bishop Wiseman and his wife were trustees of until summer 2020.

It was aware the oil was being sold as a Covid cure through a website linked to the charity, and Bishop Wiseman was asked to ensure that all links between Bishop Climate Ministries the charity and were immediately severed.

He said they were not sold through the Kingdom Church and that neither he nor the church claimed to cure the virus.

He later said he sold the oils through ‘Bishop Climate Ministries’.

However, a separate probe by undercover journalists, who bought the oil at the Kingdom Church, found people acting Bishop Wiseman's did claim it could cure the virus.

People answering the phone on behalf of Bishop Climate Ministries said the product could provide ‘protection from corona’ and had cured at least 10 people who had symptoms.

One woman on the phone, who called herself Minister Sharon, said the oil meant we could go ‘near people’ but reminded the caller of government social distancing advice.

She said ‘when you’ve got this oil you are very much protected’ and that the user ‘should not be able to get it from anyone or give it to anyone’.

She told the caller, who claimed to work in the building trade that she had been cured after testing positive for Covid and that sniffing the oil would remove the need to go to hospital.

After the undercover investigation on 29 April 2020, Bishop Wiseman denied he or any of his staff had misled anyone.

Despite this, he still claimed his oil worked, that he was healing the nation, which he was obliged to ‘as a prophet’ and someone ‘who God had used… in miracles.’

Material about the oils were still found online when trading standards probed again in January 2021.

Bishop Wiseman, from Camberwell, appeared in the dock wearing bishop’s regalia and showed little emotion as the case against him was read out.

Richard Heller, for the prosecution, told jurors that the case dates back to “a time I imagine most of us would prefer to forget.”

He added: “The defendant may seek to portray this trial as a challenge to his right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, but I want to make clear from the outset that it is no such thing.

“Undoubtedly, the defendant portrays himself as having strongly held views.

“He also portrays himself as a vessel for God’s will and a miracle worker.

“This trial is not about his right to hold or practise those beliefs.

“The right to freedom of religion, which we all enjoy, does not permit a person to make false claims in the process of taking money for a product that simply isn’t capable of doing what you claim.

“To suggest, as the defendant might, that the manner in which religion is practised is incapable of conflicting with the criminal law is to misunderstand its reach.

“To be clear, the prosecution says the promotion of the oil sold by the defendant, under whatever name he chose to give it, was little more than exploitative commercial opportunism disguised as an article of faith.

“The claims made both by the defendant and in his name can’t possibly have been true.

“Whatever beliefs the defendant may hold, it doesn’t confer the right to sell bogus cures to fatal illnesses.

“He is not above the law and his faith isn’t exempt from its prohibitions.

“This case doesn’t concern the question of how one should exercise one’s faith, of how you should pray or which divine power you should pray to.

“It concerns an exhortation to use a product of quite literally no medicinal value that had to be bought at a high cost and was not capable of doing what the defendant and his spokesmen claimed it could.”

The court heard a disclaimer was later added to Bishop Wiseman's blog where he said the oil had nothing to do with the Kingdom Church and another was added to videos where he said he never claimed he could cure people of virus.

He also claims he did not make a profit from the kits.

No treatments for Covid were given approval by UK medical regulators until June 2020 and only small number of vaccines and medicines are in use today.

Bishop Climate Ministries Bishop Wiseman denies all three charges.

The trial continues and is expected to last until the middle of next week.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Japanese Customer Sways from VW to BYD after “Unbelievable” Test Drive amid Dealership Expansion
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
White House Eyes Budapest for Peace Talks
Cave Diving Beneath the Streets of Budapest
Another American Restaurant Chain Opens in Budapest
Hungarian Opposition Politician Supports Ukrainian Commander
Opposition Leader Threatens Media Outlets
American Airlines Adds New Flights to Budapest
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix Wraps Up
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
U.S. Trade Representative says Washington still negotiating trade deals after court rules tariffs illegal
Von der Leyen says Europe drawing up 'precise' plans to send troops to Ukraine
Kremlin accuses Europe of hindering Trump’s peace efforts in Ukraine
×