by professorpan » Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:39 pm
<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cornwall/5145682.stm">news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_ne...145682.stm</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>Hidden behind Peter Solheim's public image as a parish councillor was a fascination with witchcraft, firearms and pornography.<br><br>The 56-year-old served in the Cornish county parish of Budock.<br><br>A murder hunt was begun after fishermen found his body five miles off the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall in June 2004.<br><br>He had been drugged and then mutilated by a machete or an axe before he died from drowning, the trial into his death was told.<br><br>His partner Margaret James, 58, of Porthoustock was found guilty of conspiracy to murder him by a Truro Crown Court jury on Wednesday.<br><br>Ronald Hutton, professor of history at the University of Bristol and author of books on paganism and witchcraft, told the court an "extraordinarily large and impressive" store of ingredients used for spells and potions were found in Mr Solheim's attic.<br><br>Mr Hutton said more than 40 books were found on different aspects of magic and witchcraft.<br><br>'Very unusual'<br><br>He told BBC News: "What was so remarkable about the collection of things found in Peter Solheim's attic was that it was a vast assemblage of ingredients for casting spells, with almost no relevance to religion at all.<br><br>"It was all about power, about his ability to exert his will over others and over other things."<br><br>Some of the spells he was attempting to cast involved trying to seduce women and trying to harm his enemies, he said.<br><br>"It is very, very unusual to find someone interested in witchcraft purely as a means of personal gain and for selfish reasons.<br><br>"I have met literally thousands of modern pagan witches and the deceased man's trial is the first I have ever encountered that actually practised what might be called bad magic, or in old fashioned terms, black magic."<br><br>John Bastin, the chairman of Budock Parish Council, said Mr Solheim had been very keen to serve on the council in 2003.<br><br>He told BBC News: "There had been a couple of floods in Budock and Peter had phoned me to complain about them, ahead of a council meeting.<br><br>"He came up with a theory that it was the spirits of the river that were revolting and causing the floods.<br><br>"Following on from that conversation, he realised the parish council was there and as soon as we had a vacancy, he put his hand up and said 'please could you consider me for membership'."<br><br>Mr Bastin said the verdict had given people a feeling of closure.<br><br>"At least we know most of what went on", he said.<br><br>Defending Margaret James, Paul Dunkels QC told Truro Crown Court Mr Solheim had hate mail accusing him of being a sex offender.<br><br>Mr Dunkels said there was a strong motive to do him harm and that there was evidence Mr Solheim had committed other serious sexual offences in the past.<br><br>He also argued that Mr Solheim, who dealt in antique firearms, also had an interest in illegal weapons and kept a "realistic" air pistol in his Citroen car.<br><br>Suspicious injuries<br><br>Police trying to trace his final movements were left with a gap of about 36 hours between the last time he was seen and when his body was recovered.<br><br>CCTV footage showed Mr Solheim and James in an Asda shop on 16 June 2004.<br><br>He was last seen that day getting into his small dinghy Izzwizz with an unknown man at Mylor Yacht Harbour.<br><br>The Izzwizz was found adrift at the harbour on 17 June, the keys still in the ignition.<br><br>One day later, passing fishermen spotted his 5ft 8in tall, 11 stone body floating in the water.<br><br>A post-mortem examination showed the cause of death was drowning - but he also had suspicious "unexplained injuries".<br><br>Detectives began the murder hunt after calculations showed it was "not feasible" that his body could have floated from Mylor to the spot where it was found - a distance of about 13 miles (21km).<br><br>Mr Solheim is survived by his mother and one child. <p></p><i></i>
