In his latest casebook, Phil Hoyle interviews a Shropshire woman left with strange markings after seeing a UFO outside her home.
Part 3 – UFO abductions
Late one night, Mary was sitting in her lounge, overlooking the valley along the Shropshire–Powys border, when a brilliant light approached from the distance.
At first, she assumed it was just a low-flying helicopter—common in the area due to the presence of a large RAF base. But as the light drew closer, it became clear this was no helicopter. To her astonishment, she saw a bullet-shaped craft topped with a large pointed dome that glowed from white to yellow in shifting intensities.
The craft stopped, hovering above the tall trees just behind her home. Wanting a better view—and without feeling the fear one might expect—Mary stepped outside. The object now hung only a few hundred feet overhead, emitting red-orange beams from its lower half. She called her partner to come and see, but only moments later she returned inside to watch television, as if nothing unusual were happening.
In reality, she had stood outside for over an hour in nothing but her nightdress. Though it was summer, the Shropshire night air was far from warm. Even more oddly, Mary had recently undergone keyhole surgery on her right knee and was still on crutches, yet she remained outside the entire time, seemingly compelled to be there.
Fifteen to twenty minutes into the encounter, another bright light approached—this time unmistakably a helicopter, with the rhythmic thump of rotor blades and flashing navigation lights. It hovered less than half a mile from the UFO, as though monitoring the situation.
When I later interviewed Mary, I asked why she had stood outside for so long despite the cold, her recent surgery, and the massive craft overhead. She couldn’t explain it—only that she felt drawn to the object, as if in some form of unspoken communication.
Possible Abduction Clues
Immediately after her account, I examined Mary’s knees and lower legs for physical signs often reported by abductees. On her lower right knee, I found several small, circular impressions—the so-called “cookie-cutter” marks—common in such cases. Most striking was a fresh, circular red mark about 10 mm in diameter, surrounded by tiny red dots, positioned next to one of her surgical scars.
Mary had not seen the mark before, likely because her leg had been wrapped in a support bandage. She was adamant it had not been there prior to the sighting. Days later, during a follow-up appointment, she asked her surgeon about it. He was equally puzzled and confirmed it had nothing to do with her operation.
Had the occupants of the craft conducted an additional procedure that night?
The Military Angle
Two local military facilities could have been the source of the helicopter. RAF Shawbury, the largest training base in the country, does not operate on weekends—something I confirmed with base personnel. The other possibility was Nesscliffe Army Base, which runs 24/7.
I contacted the Nesscliffe Commanding Officer. He was not dismissive of the report but told me that, if such an intercept had taken place, he would not even be in the chain of command to be informed. That answer, I felt, was telling in itself.
Read more casebooks
Casebook Part 1 – The Witness
Casebook Part 2 – The Triangle Mystery
Casebook Part 3 – UFO abductions
Casebook Part 4 – Crafts and crop circles
Casebook Part 5 – Shropshire Animal Mutilations
Casebook Part 6 – The Cosford Sphere
Casebook Part 7 – The Long Mynd UFO
Casebook Part 8 – The Cigar Shaped UFO
Casebook Part 9 – Real Men In Black
Copyright Phil Hoyle 2012
Shropshire Live is regulated by