Preacher who sold £91 'plague protection oil' as Covid cure loses fraud appeal
A preacher who sold a bogus "plague protection oil" as a cure for coronavirus has lost a Court of Appeal challenge against his conviction.
Bishop Climate Wiseman, 47, warned his followers they could "end up dropping dead" during the pandemic and urged them to get the mixture he was selling for £91. In February, Wiseman, who is head of the Kingdom Church in Camberwell, south London, was sentenced to one year in jail, suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 130 hours of unpaid community work. He was told to pay £60,000 in costs.
The fraudster took his case to the Court of Appeal earlier this month and in a written ruling on Wednesday, the court said it was "not persuaded that the conviction was unsafe". It also upheld the costs ruling against him, concluding: "It is not arguable that there was any procedural unfairness or that the costs order was manifestly excessive."
Bishop Climate Wiseman, 46, with his supporters outside Inner London Crown Court in 2021 (PA)He offered the packages containing a small bottle of hyssop, cedarwood and olive oil along with a prayer card and a piece of scarlet yarn. Hyssop is mentioned in the Bible as a means of warding off the plague, specifically leprosy. But there is no evidence for its use in recent times, other than for flavouring foods. Wiseman denied he was a conman and insisted he was a "man of God." He told his trial he had been inspired by a visitation from God, who told him he was a prophet who could cure coronavirus.
In a written ruling on Wednesday, the court said it was "not persuaded that the conviction was unsafe". It also upheld the costs ruling against him, concluding: "It is not arguable that there was any procedural unfairness or that the costs order was manifestly excessive." This was not the first time Wiseman had been investigated by trading standards in relation to the sale of oils. In 2016 he was flogging an oil as an aid to cure cancer, but this did not lead to a prosecution. This information was given to jurors at his trial and his lawyers argued it was "highly prejudicial material" that could have influenced the verdict. However, prosecutors argued that "no real prejudice was caused" and the jury was "sufficiently well-directed".
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Sentencing Wiseman in February this year Judge Nigel Peters KC said: "You were selling an oil, a potion which you were selling or trading to prevent or cure Covid. People's fears and anxieties were at their highest. The trepidation that people suffered was on a daily basis as tow what would happen the next day. People were at their most vulnerable. A product like this gave people false hope. You are nothing more than a modern day snake oil salesman."
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