TV psychic who appeared on This Morning and the Paul O'Grady Show is jailed for sexually assaulting women who went to him for clairvoyant sessions

Published: 18:31, 13 June 2026 | Updated: 18:50, 13 June 2026 A psychic famed for his appearances on daytime TV has been jailed after sexually assaulting two women who visited him for sessions. John Starkey, 74, of Colwyn Bay, held readings at his shop in Llandudno, Wales, and encouraged the women to be naked as part of an 'initiation' for a 'spiritual cleansing'. The predator pleaded guilty to sexual assault by penetration between April and October 2018. Starkey also admitted to two counts of sexual assault by touching in December 2016 and October 2022. He was jailed for four years and five months. His first victim, a woman in her 20s, was assaulted in Wolverhampton where he said she had a 'gift for tarot card reading' and wanted to invite a 'witch' to their sessions. He then lured her to a London hotel and instructed her to remove her clothes and proceeded to assault her, Caernarfon Crown Court heard. The court heard that she wore just a pair of pants and a coat and he came out in boxer shorts and a robe before touching her.  Following the attack she 'cried for days,' describing it as 'mental torture'.  John Starkey, 74, has been jailed after sexually assaulting two women who visited him for psychic readings He held readings at his shop in Llandudno, Wales, and encouraged the women to be naked as part of an 'initiation' for a 'spiritual cleansing' She went to police in 2018 and DNA traces were found on her underwear, but the Met Police appeared to have closed the investigation, prosecutor Elen Owen said. The second victim was offered a naked massage by Starkey and told to strip down to her underwear and had her backside smacked four times. The young woman who was on holiday with her partner in Wales had an interest in 'clairvoyance and massages', and came in for a 'clairvoyant consultation' in 2022. The judge said: 'You hit her buttocks very hard after asking her to take off her clothes.' He was due to stand trial but he changed his pleas and admitted three charges of sexual assault. The sexual predator claimed he appeared on a string of TV shows including This Morning, the Paul O'Grady Show and LBC Radio.  Robert Fitt, defending, said Starkey had severe health problems with a life expectancy of three to five years. Her Honour Judge Nicola Jones had little empathy for Starkey and called him a 'complete charlatan'. She added: 'There was a clear breach of trust and a significant degree of planning.' His first victim, a woman in her 20s, was assaulted in Wolverhampton where he said she had a 'gift for tarot card reading' and wanted to invite a 'witch' to their sessions Starkey was jailed for four years and five months She also imposed a restraining order to keep him away from the two victims for life. Starkey claims to be an 'internationally renowned clairvoyant' with 40 years of experience. His website said: 'Clairvoyance is a fantastic tool to help both mind and heart cope with loss and life's troubles. It can also help with forging a new pathway and direction in life. 'John performs psychic readings, hand readings and also tarot card readings. 'He will look for where success lies for you, the best avenues to take even if you feel there are none and positive pathways in love and relationships.' He claimed to work with a charity raising money in his late wife's memory. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.