A British tourist who died suddenly at a Sicilian resort had attended a pagan gathering organised by a 'faerie cult'. Benjamin Braithwaite was found dead last month in a makeshift tent at a farmhouse near the village of Canicattini Bagni, Siracusa province.
The 35-year-old had joined a queer nomadic cult self-referred to as 'radical faeries' which engaged in unusual rituals including drug taking. He had allegedly adopted the pseudonyms 'river' and 'wasp' after arriving at the remote mountain farmhouse, a world away from the port city visited by thousands of tourists each year.
Whistleblower raises concerns
An anonymous whistleblower who was once part of the sect told the Telegraph the group attracted vulnerable people at 'their low ebb'. He suggested Mr Braithwaite could have been the victim of rape under the influence of drugs or even forced to partake in a 'choking sex' game.
The event Mr Braithwaite attended was described by Eurofaeries as 'a radically inclusive gathering of queer people coming together to celebrate the autumn equinox'. The whistleblower said that while '90%' of the cult's activities were harmless, the group had a 'malevolent' undertone, adding he had witnessed several rituals which were 'close to the edge'.
Investigation and local reaction
Mr Braithwaite, from Leeds, is said to have fallen out with his mother – Angelique Wildbore – when he was around 18. Mrs Wildbore has declined to comment on her son's death. Italy's Carabinieri gendarmerie are keeping an open mind in the case and have declined to call the death a murder.
Detectives discovered Mr Braithwaite's body with various injuries, alongside drugs and ritualistic objects on the scene, including a slab of a half man, half goat.
Locals, however, say the faeries, who they call the 'flower children', have never been an issue in the neighbourhood. Giuseppe, 38, said the case was a 'very strange affair' and that the group usually 'kept themselves to themselves'.
Following the incident, the town's mayor Paolo Amenta said he was shocked by the news, adding that the 'nomadic' people from the cult had never caused any trouble and were usually just 'seeking a freer life'. 'When I had the opportunity to speak with them, they always conveyed a strong sense of serenity to me. This is also why I was saddened and shocked by this news', he said.
Other events and upcoming gathering
Other events organised by Faeries where things took a turn for the worse included meet-ups in Northumberland and eastern France. The group is set to return to Featherstone Castle in the northern English county next month. The Grade I-listed building will be turned into a 'sex positive' space where guests are free to wander around the castle naked and may witness 'faeries connecting with one another sexually'.
