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{{Short description|Dutch psychic (1909–1980)}}
{{Paranormal}}
{{infobox person
[[File:Gerard Croiset (1976).jpg|thumb|Gerard Croiset (1976)]]
| name = Gerard Croiset
⚫
'''Gerard Croiset''' born '''Gerard Boekbinder''' (March 10, 1909{{spaced ndash}}July 20, 1980) was a [[Netherlands|Dutch]] [[parapsychology|parapsychologist]], [[Psychometry (paranormal)|psychometrist]] and [[psychic]]. He was often asked to help police detectives trace [[missing person]]s, though authenticated successes were few, and compared against the failures, his success rate was ruled no better than chance. [citation needed]
| image= Gerard Croiset (1976).jpg
| caption = Croiset in 1976
| birth_name = Gerard Boekbinder
| birth_place = [[Laren, North Holland]], Netherlands
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1909|3|10}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1980|5|20|1909|3|10}}
| death_place =[[Utrecht]], Netherlands
| occupation = Psychic, parapsychologist, psychometrist
}}
⚫
'''Gerard Croiset''' ({{né}} '''Boekbinder'''; March 10, 1909{{spaced ndash}}July 20, 1980) was a Dutch [[parapsychology|parapsychologist]], [[Psychometry (paranormal)|psychometrist]] and [[psychic]]. He was often asked to help police detectives trace [[missing person]]s, though authenticated successes were few, and compared against the failures, his success rate was ruled no better than chance.


==Biography==
==Background==
Croiset was born in [[Laren, North Holland|Laren]], [[North Holland]], in 1909.<ref>[http://www.inghist.nl/Onderzoek/Projecten/BWN/lemmata/bwn5/boekbinder Boekbinder, Gerard (1909-1980)], [[Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands]]</ref> He said he began to become aware of his gifts while a youth working for a watch repairer, and that on one occasion he held a ruler belonging to his employer and saw events which he related to his employer and which his employer confirmed were accurate.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}
Croiset was born in [[Laren, North Holland|Laren]], [[North Holland]], in March 1909.<ref>[http://www.inghist.nl/Onderzoek/Projecten/BWN/lemmata/bwn5/boekbinder Boekbinder, Gerard (1909–1980)], [[Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands]]</ref> He said he began to become aware of his gifts while a youth working for a watch repairer, and that on one occasion he held a ruler belonging to his employer and saw events which he related to his employer and which his employer confirmed were accurate.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}


==Early work==
==Early work==
Line 10: Line 20:


==Missing persons cases==
==Missing persons cases==
⚫
In 1966, he was invited to Australia to aid in an investigation relating to the disappearance of the three [[Beaumont children disappearance|Beaumont children]], who had disappeared without trace from a beach in Adelaide, South Australia. Although police were skeptical, his expenses were paid by the wealthy property tycoon Con Polites, who was interested in the case, and publicity was such that Croiset's ideas were thought to be worthy of consideration. During his brief stay in Australia, he attracted widespread publicity but failed to find any trace of the missing children.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/clairvoyant-gerard-croiset-failed-to-crack-the-beaumont-case-but-gave-rise-to-the-psychic-detective/news-story/a953da44448792736481f0f1b445c4ad|title=Clairvoyant Gerard Croiset failed to crack the Beaumont case but gave rise to the 'psychic detective'|author=Troy Lennon|date=25 January 2016|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]]|accessdate=2016-03-25}}</ref>
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2009}}
⚫
In 1966, he was invited to Australia to aid in an investigation relating to the disappearance of the three [[Beaumont children disappearance|Beaumont children]], who had disappeared without trace from a beach in Adelaide, South Australia. Although police were skeptical, his expenses were paid by the wealthy property tycoon Con Polites who was interested in the case, and publicity was such that Croiset's ideas were thought to be worthy of consideration. During his brief stay in Australia he attracted widespread publicity but failed to find any trace of the missing children.<ref>{{cite newspaper|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/clairvoyant-gerard-croiset-failed-to-crack-the-beaumont-case-but-gave-rise-to-the-psychic-detective/news-story/a953da44448792736481f0f1b445c4ad|title=Clairvoyant Gerard Croiset failed to crack the Beaumont case but gave rise to the ‘psychic detective’|author=Troy Lennon|date=25 January 2016|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|accessdate=2016-03-25}}</ref>


In January 1970, Croiset assisted in the investigation of the [[Murder of Muriel McKay|kidnapping of Muriel McKay]] in London. McKay was the wife of publishing tycoon Rupert Murdoch's Deputy Chairman Alick McKay. Croiset was asked by a McKay family friend, Eric Cutler, to help locate her. Croiset said that she was in a white farmhouse in the north or north east of London and that nearby to her was another farm and an abandoned aerodrome and that if she was not found within 14 days she would be dead.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://casefilepodcast.com/case-110-muriel-mckay/|title=Case 110: Muriel McKay|last=Casefile: True Crime Podcast|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=8 July 2019}}</ref> Her body was never found. Brothers Arthur and Nazimoodeen Hosein were convicted of her murder&mdash;the first case in British history for a murder conviction without a body.
In January 1970, Croiset participated in the investigation of the [[murder of Muriel McKay|kidnapping of Muriel McKay]], the wife of publishing tycoon [[Rupert Murdoch]]'s Deputy Chairman Alick McKay. Croiset was asked by a McKay family friend, Eric Cutler, to help locate her. Croiset said that she was in a white farmhouse in the north or north-east of London, and that nearby to her was another farm and an abandoned aerodrome. He claimed that if she was not found within 14 days she would be dead.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://casefilepodcast.com/case-110-muriel-mckay/|title=Case 110: Muriel McKay|last=Casefile: True Crime Podcast|date=3 May 2019 |access-date=8 July 2019}}</ref> Her body was never found. Brothers Arthur and Nazimoodeen Hosein were convicted of her murder—the first case in British history of a murder conviction without a body. In 1978, the Chief Constable of [[Devon and Cornwall Police]] hired Croiset to investigate the [[disappearance of Genette Tate]], but he provided no information of value.<ref name="tate">{{cite news|url=https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/paranormal-investigators-damaging-conspiracy-theories-6326967|title=Genette Tate: Paranormal investigators and damaging conspiracy theories dogged case|work=Devon Live|date=12 December 2021|accessdate=22 December 2021|first=Paul|last=Greaves}}</ref>


In 1972 he was consulted at various times to assist with the location of [[Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571|a missing aircraft presumed crashed in the Andes mountains]]. His indications proved to be vague and ultimately incorrect.
During the mid 1970s, he was invited to Puerto Rico to find the two missing children of a local businessman. He concluded that the children were no longer on an "earthly plane" and could offer no clues. Also, he was asked to locate a missing woman in Scotland, and once again failed to provide any clues.


⚫
Croiset died in [[Utrecht]] in 1980, aged 71.
Croiset's reputation became tarnished during his later years by his well publicised failures. However, he claimed to have achieved one more notable success when he was invited to Tokyo, Japan during the 1970s to locate a missing child. As he claimed, he had provided a description of the location in which her body could be found within 24 hours. When her body was found after following his instructions, all details seemed to match exactly with his prediction. There are no known independent sources for this claim.

In 1973, two little children were kidnapped by their father in Haute-Savoie (France). In 1976, Gérard Croiset declared briefly by phone: "They are in Italy". But the father doesn't speak Italian, observed the mother. During a second phone call, Croiset's secretary said that he couldn't do anything more in this case. After having lived with his girls in Spain and Germany, the father was arrested in France in 1979. Some time later, the children told of their visit to friends in Italy just at that time when their mother telephoned with Gérard Croiset.{{Citation needed|date=February 2018}}

In another apparently successful case during May 1976, Croiset was flown from the Netherlands to Japan by a Japanese television station to see if he could help locate a missing seven-year-old girl. After being shown a picture of the missing girl, Miwa Kikuchi, Croiset stated that she was dead “on the surface of a lake near her home and near a quay for boats near a yellow protruding structure”. The girl's body was later recovered floating in the reservoir near a quay for rowing boats and a water supply tower, which was painted yellow. Although the press were astounded at Croiset's paranormal abilities, some policemen stated that they would have found the girl's body without Croiset's help.{{Citation needed|date=February 2018}}

⚫
He died in Utrecht in 1980, aged 71.


==Evaluation==
==Evaluation==
Croiset claimed he helped to solve the case of an assault of a girl in [[Wierden]], the Netherlands. The Chief of Police of Wierden stated however, that the information by Croiset was inaccurate and his communications were not used in the case.<ref>Neher, Andrew (2011). ''Paranormal and Transcendental Experience: A Psychological Examination''. Dover Publications. p. 221</ref> He was investigated under controlled conditions by The Belgian Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Phenomena Reputed to be Paranormal and they did not find any evidence of psychic ability.<ref>Clement, Stone and Browning, Norma (1964). ''The Other Side of the Mind''. Prentice-Hall. p. 85</ref><ref>{{cite newspaper |url= http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/clairvoyant-gerard-croiset-failed-to-crack-the-beaumont-case-but-gave-rise-to-the-psychic-detective/news-story/a953da44448792736481f0f1b445c4ad |title=Clairvoyant Gerard Croiset failed to crack the Beaumont case but gave rise to the ‘psychic detective’ | first =Troy | last = Lennon |date= 25 January 2016 |newspaper= [[The Daily Telegraph]] |accessdate= 2016-03-25}}</ref>
Croiset claimed he helped to solve the case of an assault of a girl in [[Wierden]], the Netherlands. The Chief of Police of Wierden stated however, that the information by Croiset was inaccurate and his communications were not used in the case.<ref>Neher, Andrew (2011). ''Paranormal and Transcendental Experience: A Psychological Examination''. Dover Publications. p. 221</ref> He was investigated under controlled conditions by The Belgian Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Phenomena Reputed to be Paranormal and they did not find any evidence of psychic ability.<ref>Clement, Stone and Browning, Norma (1964). ''The Other Side of the Mind''. Prentice-Hall. p. 85</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/clairvoyant-gerard-croiset-failed-to-crack-the-beaumont-case-but-gave-rise-to-the-psychic-detective/news-story/a953da44448792736481f0f1b445c4ad |title=Clairvoyant Gerard Croiset failed to crack the Beaumont case but gave rise to the 'psychic detective' | first =Troy | last = Lennon |date= 25 January 2016 |newspaper= [[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]] |accessdate= 2016-03-25}}</ref>


The skeptic James Lett has written:
The skeptic James Lett has written:


{{blockquote|The truth is that the overwhelming majority of Croiset’s predictions were either vague and nonfalsifiable or simply wrong. Given the fact that Croiset made thousands of predictions during his lifetime, it is hardly surprising that he enjoyed one or two chance “hits”.<ref name= "Hoebens">{{Cite journal |last=Hoebens |first=Piet Hein |date=1981 |title= Gerard Croiset: Investigation of the Mozart of ‘Psychic Sleuths’ – Part I. Croiset and Professor Tenhaeff: Discrepancies in Claims of Clairvoyance (Part II) |url= http://skepsis.nl/croiset-tenhaeff/#croiset |journal= [[Skeptical Inquirer]] |publisher= [[Committee for Skeptical Inquiry]] |volume= VI |issue=1 (Part I), 2 (Part II) |pages=17–28 (Part I), 32–40 (Part II) |accessdate= 2 March 2017}}</ref><ref>[http://www.csicop.org/si/show/field_guide_to_critical_thinking/ A Field Guide to Critical Thinking], James Lett.</ref>}}
{{blockquote|The truth is that the overwhelming majority of Croiset’s predictions were either vague and nonfalsifiable or simply wrong. Given the fact that Croiset made thousands of predictions during his lifetime, it is hardly surprising that he enjoyed one or two chance “hits”.<ref name= "Hoebens">{{Cite journal |last=Hoebens |first=Piet Hein |date=1981 |title= Gerard Croiset: Investigation of the Mozart of 'Psychic Sleuths' – Part I. Croiset and Professor Tenhaeff: Discrepancies in Claims of Clairvoyance (Part II) |url= http://skepsis.nl/croiset-tenhaeff/#croiset |journal= [[Skeptical Inquirer]] |publisher= [[Committee for Skeptical Inquiry]] |volume= VI |issue=1 (Part I), 2 (Part II) |pages=17–28 (Part I), 32–40 (Part II) |accessdate= 2 March 2017}}</ref><ref>[http://www.csicop.org/si/show/field_guide_to_critical_thinking/ A Field Guide to Critical Thinking], James Lett.</ref>}}


The Dutch parapsychologist Wilhelm Tenhaeff has written Croiset had genuine psychic powers due to the information he had given in police cases. However it was discovered that much of Tenhaeff's data was fraudulent.<ref>Hoebens, Piet Hein (1981). 'Gerard Croiset: Investigation of the Mozart of "Psychic Sleuths"'. ''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]'' 6, nº 1: 18–28. Hoebens, Piet Hein (1982). '[http://skepsis.nl/croiset-tenhaeff/ Croiset and Professor Tenhaeff: Discrepancies in Claims of Clairvoyance]'. ''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]'' 6, nº 2: 32–40.</ref>
The Dutch parapsychologist {{ill|Wilhelm Tenhaeff|nl}} has written Croiset had genuine psychic powers due to the information he had given in police cases. However it was discovered that much of Tenhaeff's data was fraudulent.<ref>Hoebens, Piet Hein (1981). 'Gerard Croiset: Investigation of the Mozart of "Psychic Sleuths"'. ''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]'' 6, nº 1: 18–28. Hoebens, Piet Hein (1982). '[http://skepsis.nl/croiset-tenhaeff/ Croiset and Professor Tenhaeff: Discrepancies in Claims of Clairvoyance]'. ''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]'' 6, nº 2: 32–40.</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Fortune telling fraud]]
* [[Con artist]]
*[[Confidence trick]]
* [[Confidence trick]]
*[[Con artist]]
* [[Fortune telling fraud]]
*[[Harry Houdini#Debunking spiritualists|Houdini's debunking of psychics and mediums]]
* [[Harry Houdini#Debunking spiritualists|Houdini's debunking of psychics and mediums]]
* [[Ann O'Delia Diss Debar]]
*[[Ann O'Delia Diss Debar|Ann O'Delia Diss Debar ("One of the most extraordinary fake mediums... the world has ever known" -Houdini)]]
*[[Peter Popoff#Investigation by James Randi|Televangelist Peter Popoff exposed by James Randi]]
* [[Peter Popoff#Investigation by James Randi|Televangelist Peter Popoff exposed by James Randi]]
*[[Bob Nygaard]]
* [[Bob Nygaard]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category-inline}}
*[http://www.inghist.nl/Onderzoek/Projecten/BWN/lemmata/bwn5/boekbinder BOEKBINDER, Gerard (1909-1980)] Dutch language entry in scholarly biographical dictionary
* [http://www.inghist.nl/Onderzoek/Projecten/BWN/lemmata/bwn5/boekbinder Boekbinder, Gerard (1909–1980)] Dutch language entry in scholarly biographical dictionary

{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Croiset, Gerard}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Croiset, Gerard}}

Latest revision as of 00:58, 13 September 2024

Gerard Croiset
Croiset in 1976
Born
Gerard Boekbinder

(1909-03-10)10 March 1909
Laren, North Holland, Netherlands
Died20 May 1980(1980-05-20) (aged 71)
Utrecht, Netherlands
Occupation(s)Psychic, parapsychologist, psychometrist

Gerard Croiset (né Boekbinder; March 10, 1909 – July 20, 1980) was a Dutch parapsychologist, psychometrist and psychic. He was often asked to help police detectives trace missing persons, though authenticated successes were few, and compared against the failures, his success rate was ruled no better than chance.

Background

[edit]

Croiset was born in Laren, North Holland, in March 1909.[1] He said he began to become aware of his gifts while a youth working for a watch repairer, and that on one occasion he held a ruler belonging to his employer and saw events which he related to his employer and which his employer confirmed were accurate.[citation needed]

Early work

[edit]

After World War II, Croiset was sometimes consulted by Dutch police authorities for cases involving missing persons, or murder. On one occasion he was said to have examined the property of a murdered woman, and provided accurate information relating to her murder, and also gave the name of her murderer. The name matched a man who was being held in connection with the crime. He gained a reputation as a reliable consultant in the area of missing persons, and his fame extended beyond the Netherlands, as anecdotes about his abilities came to be discussed in other countries. He also gained a reputation as a psychic healer, and would allow people to visit him in his clinic for healing sessions.

Missing persons cases

[edit]

In 1966, he was invited to Australia to aid in an investigation relating to the disappearance of the three Beaumont children, who had disappeared without trace from a beach in Adelaide, South Australia. Although police were skeptical, his expenses were paid by the wealthy property tycoon Con Polites, who was interested in the case, and publicity was such that Croiset's ideas were thought to be worthy of consideration. During his brief stay in Australia, he attracted widespread publicity but failed to find any trace of the missing children.[2]

In January 1970, Croiset participated in the investigation of the kidnapping of Muriel McKay, the wife of publishing tycoon Rupert Murdoch's Deputy Chairman Alick McKay. Croiset was asked by a McKay family friend, Eric Cutler, to help locate her. Croiset said that she was in a white farmhouse in the north or north-east of London, and that nearby to her was another farm and an abandoned aerodrome. He claimed that if she was not found within 14 days she would be dead.[3] Her body was never found. Brothers Arthur and Nazimoodeen Hosein were convicted of her murder—the first case in British history of a murder conviction without a body. In 1978, the Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police hired Croiset to investigate the disappearance of Genette Tate, but he provided no information of value.[4]

In 1972 he was consulted at various times to assist with the location of a missing aircraft presumed crashed in the Andes mountains. His indications proved to be vague and ultimately incorrect.

Croiset died in Utrecht in 1980, aged 71.

Evaluation

[edit]

Croiset claimed he helped to solve the case of an assault of a girl in Wierden, the Netherlands. The Chief of Police of Wierden stated however, that the information by Croiset was inaccurate and his communications were not used in the case.[5] He was investigated under controlled conditions by The Belgian Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Phenomena Reputed to be Paranormal and they did not find any evidence of psychic ability.[6][7]

The skeptic James Lett has written:

The truth is that the overwhelming majority of Croiset’s predictions were either vague and nonfalsifiable or simply wrong. Given the fact that Croiset made thousands of predictions during his lifetime, it is hardly surprising that he enjoyed one or two chance “hits”.[8][9]

The Dutch parapsychologist Wilhelm Tenhaeff [nl] has written Croiset had genuine psychic powers due to the information he had given in police cases. However it was discovered that much of Tenhaeff's data was fraudulent.[10]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Boekbinder, Gerard (1909–1980), Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands
  2. ^ Troy Lennon (25 January 2016). "Clairvoyant Gerard Croiset failed to crack the Beaumont case but gave rise to the 'psychic detective'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
  3. ^ Casefile: True Crime Podcast (3 May 2019). "Case 110: Muriel McKay". Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  4. ^ Greaves, Paul (12 December 2021). "Genette Tate: Paranormal investigators and damaging conspiracy theories dogged case". Devon Live. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  5. ^ Neher, Andrew (2011). Paranormal and Transcendental Experience: A Psychological Examination. Dover Publications. p. 221
  6. ^ Clement, Stone and Browning, Norma (1964). The Other Side of the Mind. Prentice-Hall. p. 85
  7. ^ Lennon, Troy (25 January 2016). "Clairvoyant Gerard Croiset failed to crack the Beaumont case but gave rise to the 'psychic detective'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
  8. ^ Hoebens, Piet Hein (1981). "Gerard Croiset: Investigation of the Mozart of 'Psychic Sleuths' – Part I. Croiset and Professor Tenhaeff: Discrepancies in Claims of Clairvoyance (Part II)". Skeptical Inquirer. VI (1 (Part I), 2 (Part II)). Committee for Skeptical Inquiry: 17–28 (Part I), 32–40 (Part II). Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  9. ^ A Field Guide to Critical Thinking, James Lett.
  10. ^ Hoebens, Piet Hein (1981). 'Gerard Croiset: Investigation of the Mozart of "Psychic Sleuths"'. Skeptical Inquirer 6, nº 1: 18–28. Hoebens, Piet Hein (1982). 'Croiset and Professor Tenhaeff: Discrepancies in Claims of Clairvoyance'. Skeptical Inquirer 6, nº 2: 32–40.
[edit]

Media related to Gerard Croiset at Wikimedia Commons

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