GHOST hunters claim to have photographed the spirit of either a pimp or a punter in a 15th century pub which used to be a brothel.

Spectre Detectors say the ghoul, who appears to have a modern pair of glasses in a photograph they have produced as evidence, is called John. They claim he haunts the Dun Cow pub on Old Elvet, Durham, where men would once pay for sex in rooms above the bar.

The ghost hunters also say they have captured the ghost of a young woman, possibly a “working girl”.

Led by Elaine Kelly, the group set up cameras last week in a bid to snap as much paranormal movement as possible in the pub.

Elaine said: “The pub used to be a brothel. The bar was downstairs and clients could go upstairs if they wanted more.

“We saw a spirit of a woman. She possibly could have been a worker there as she was quite made up and had quite a gypsy look about her.

“I think that she would have probably been from the 1800s but it is so hard to tell.

“Dawn Alderson, our medium, was able to pick up a name for the man in the picture - John Bull. He was seen dragging the woman around by her hair and her arm.

“We think that he could maybe have been a client or possibly the owner of the brothel.”

The Dun Cow has a rich history and used to attract crowds which had gathered to watch public hangings outside the court house opposite.

Hangmen used to enjoy the hospitality of the inn until it was time to walk the short distance across the road to do their duty.

Elaine added: “I really love investigating the Dun Cow because it has so much history. It has been there since the 15th century and nothing has changed since.

“The toilets are still outside and the bar is very traditional. “Every time we come there are completely different spirits here from all walks of life.

“We found out from a previous investigation that it used to be a brothel.

Last year when we came the medium picked up a spirit called Rose, we thought that she could have also been a working girl.

“She told us through the medium she had a backstreet abortion.

“Last time we also saw a red light in the upstairs room.

“This time, some members of the public came with us. We captured everything on a little handheld full-spectrum camera.

“I showed them the pictures as soon as they were taken to prove that there is no photo shopping or enhancement done.”

The Dun Cow landlady, Jill Carey, who lives above the pub, attended the ghost hunt and said she was stunned when the spooky figured appeared in her bedroom and living room.

“I couldn’t stay there that night after that.

“A lot of people have experienced things here - being touched and tugged, bottle lids shooting off the bottles and beer mats flying off the tables after they have just been cleaned.

“People have seen figures of a woman and a man.

“We didn’t know that it used to be a brothel, but now it makes a lot of sense because this was a coach house so there was room to stop upstairs."

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