Ilkley Moor UFO Incident

The UFO sighting turned abduction that generated one of the strongest photographic evidence

Name	Ilkley Moor UFO Incident
Occurred on	December 1, 1987
Seen by	Philip Spencer
Investigated by	Peter Hough

It is very rare that the occupants of a UFO are photographed. This may be the only photo of its kind known to exist. This was how UFO investigator and author Peter Hough opened the article he published after investigating the Ilkley Moor UFO incident.

When UFO witnesses claim sightings, some of the first excuses skeptics would throw to downplay the experience include hallucinations, trick of the eye, or even mental instability.

However, the Ilkley Moor UFO incident was difficult to brush off because it involved a photographed encounter. But was it genuine? Or was the entire event a hoax?

What Is the Ilkley Moor UFO Incident?

Ilkley Moor has a history of discs flying over its expanse, leading several ufologists to believe it could be a UFO hotspot. One incident supporting their speculation occurred on December 1, 1987, when a retired police officer claimed he had spotted something unusual in the area.

The Ilkley Moor UFO incident is one of the most debated UFO encounters to this day. While opinions on its validity remain divided, its witness has maintained his adamant stance on its authenticity. Despite its fame, all interviews and documents about it were associated with a pseudonym, Philip Spencer—a decision that shows:

• He had no plans to obtain money from his story. 
• He wanted answers about his experience, but had to protect his chances of returning as a police officer.

These only strengthened enthusiasts’ belief that the entire event was real.

The Events on December 1, 1987

Philip Spencer had just moved to the area to be closer to his wife’s family. A routine he had built over the months after this transfer was crossing the Ilkley Moor to visit his father-in-law’s house in East Morton. On December 1, however, his usual trek went awry.

It was still dark when Spencer bade his wife goodbye before visiting his father-in-law. Knowing how quickly mist could form during the month, he brought:

• A compass to navigate in the dense fog
• His camera to shoot some sceneries

As he climbed the moor’s steep slopes, the Briton decided to change his route, taking a different, shorter one this time.

I picked up a path which ran alongside a stand of trees. I was vaguely aware of a humming sound, but I thought this was due to an aircraft. Then something caught my eye. I stopped and turned, looking into the huge hollow scooped out of the hill.

He described what he saw as a strange-looking, green being about 4 ft tall. He saw it allegedly waving its hands at him, seemingly asking him to stay away. The Briton did stay away, but he also impulsively took a photo of it.

The creature ran away, dipping behind an outcropping, with Spencer trailing behind in pursuit of it. He described it as moving weirdly, as if waddling away, but said it was still much faster than he was. As they turned a corner, the creature had already disappeared, and, instead, he came face-to-face with a large object.

• It had two silver saucers stuck edge-to-edge.
• It had a domed top with a whitish square box on it.

Upon his arrival, the object rose from the moor before disappearing into a cloud.

The Aftermath

Philip Spencer took a few minutes to gather his bearings. Confused and wanting answers about what he had captured, the Briton abandoned his original plan and went to the nearest village. He went straight to a film development shop, and sure enough, he had a photo of the being.

The quality was poor, but there was no doubt I had captured on film what I had seen with my own eyes.

His burning question was answered, but the more Spencer thought of what happened, he also began having more questions, especially after noticing that:

• The clock in the village was two hours later than his watch.
• His compass had now pointed south, not north.

How Was the Incident Investigated?

Believing he had experienced something bizarre and had proof, Philip Spencer immediately sought the proper channels to investigate.

After perusing through directories in the local library, he managed to obtain Manchester UFO Research Association’s Jenny Randles and 30-year ufologist Arthur Tomlinson. He wrote to them, detailing the events and urging them to write back.

MUFORA was initially skeptical of his story. Around that period, they had been receiving similar tales, but almost always, these turned out to be hoaxes. However, Randles still wrote back to Spencer and connected him to a fellow UFO researcher, Peter Hough.

On the other hand, Tomlinson, accompanied by Steve Balon, was quick to fly out to Ilkley. They visited the moor and asked the Briton to hand over the photo and its negatives, which the ex-police officer promptly did. Yet instead of investigating the case, the pair sent the items to Hough and urged him to look into it.

Peter Hough’s Initial Investigation

Peter Hough first examined the photo and, after seeing the creature it captured, immediately planned an investigation with Arthur Tomlinson and Steve Balon.

They flew out to Ilkley to visit the site and interview Philip Spencer. During their first session, Hough observed the Briton’s lack of any emotional connection or reaction while recounting what had happened. According to him, this had meant:

• His emotions are purposely suppressed to protect his sanity.
• The case was a fraud.

Hough followed up by asking Spencer what he would do if someone claimed he had made the story up and that the creature in the photo was only a dummy. To this, the witness answered:

I’m not particularly interested in what other people think. I know what I saw, and if people don’t believe me, that’s up to them. I’ve got nothing to gain by doing that. I don’t see the sense. I’ve got better things to do with my time.

All four of them went back to the site, where Spencer recalled the events while the others took measurements and photographs. They went down a slope where the creature allegedly disappeared and saw an indentation in the ground measuring 31 ft at its widest point.

Hough also took the time to re-examine the photo more closely and noticed a box-like image above the outcropping—something Spencer failed to see—where he claimed the disc was.

He and the others took comparison photos with the same camera and found that nothing accounted for the object in the original image. They also took measurements and estimated it to be at least 4 or 4.5 ft tall, to be visible from that angle.

The Investigations on the Photo

The photo was sent to four separate professionals for further examination:

• A wildlife photography expert
• Kodak laboratories
• Dr. Bruce Maccabee
• Director of a screen printing firm

Tony Marshall, Wildlife Photographer

Peter Hough and Jenny Randles first took the print and the negatives to professional wildlife photographer Tony Marshall in Sheffield.

His conclusions were:

• The photo was unimpressive in quality, which fit the stereotype that most evidence of encounters is blurred.
• The creature wasn’t any animal he recognized.

Peter Sutherst, Kodak Laboratories

The photo was also sent to Hempstead at the Kodak Laboratories for Peter Sutherst’s opinion. After running the image on a computer enhancement program, he concluded that:

• The image hadn’t been tampered with.
• The negatives were first exposures.
• The captured creature was indeed part of the photo, not superimposed.

Unfortunately, he also couldn’t identify whether the creature was a genuine alien or a dummy. When asked about the box-like figure in the photo, Sutherst mentioned that it was a reflection, indicating that something should have been there to reflect light.

I wouldn’t care to commit myself to any observation beyond saying that the film had not been interfered with after processing. The blob you mentioned could be some reflection either in the lens system or in the field of view.

Dr. Bruce Maccabee

Another computer enhancement and analysis was sought, this time by a U.S. Navy optical physicist. However, Dr. Maccabee commented that the photo was too grainy to be used for proper testing.

I had great hopes that this case would prove definitive. Sadly, circumstances prevent it from being so.

Screen Printing Firm

Peter Hough also traveled to Rochdale to meet the director of a screen-printing firm. He studied the negatives and the photo in a darkroom and commented:

• The photo was too grainy for a 400 ASA film.
• The photo had slight flaring at the bottom and on either side, which could indicate poorly placed lighting.
• The box-like figure in the photo couldn’t be explained by any mundane reason.

The Investigations on the Compass

The next step in Hough’s investigation was to look at Spencer’s compass. There’s no doubt that it was subjected to a strong magnetic field that caused it to alter its magnetic north.

Hough arranged an appointment at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, where he met:

• Dr. Leonard, Head of the Total Technology Department
• Dr. Spooner, Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering & Electronics

Dr. Spooner proposed two possible explanations for the occurrence.

• The compass was exposed to powerful magnets. This process deflected the needles, but the effect ceased once the magnets were removed.
• The compass was placed in a coiled wire that was connected to a main electrical supply. This explained the lasting effects on the compass, but when done at home, the fuses could be blown, creating an electrical fire.

He added that one way to determine any evidence for or against these claims would be to survey the site’s surrounding rocks for any magnetic reaction. However, the investigators involved failed to conduct this check.

Unknown Investigators

While Hough was conducting his investigations, Philip Spencer phoned him on January 15, saying that two business-suited men arrived at his house. Flashing their IDs to him, they claimed to be MOD agents, named David Jefferson and (whom he could only recall as) “Davies.”

Their exchange revolved around the agents asking Spencer about the Ilkley Moor UFO incident and if he had any photographs to show. Feeling a bit cornered, the ex-police officer ended up sharing the details and said that the photo was with a friend.

Fortunately, the agents didn’t press further and left after.

What Really Happened During the Ilkley Moor UFO Incident?

No conclusive evidence or analysis was released to explain the Ilkley Moor UFO incident. However, for the believers, the closest to an explanation they got was the regressive hypnosis Philip Spencer was subjected to.

The session revealed a completely different event: Spencer was abducted. It established that the Ilkley Moor UFO incident was more than just an encounter captured on camera.

The test was conducted at Arthur Tomlinson’s house on March 16, 1988, days after Spencer began having nightmares about weird patterns in the sky. It was administered by Dr. Jim Singleton and was recorded by Matthew Hill, a journalist.

Below is the transcript of some of the recording’s parts.

Philip Spencer’s Abduction

Dr. Singleton: I want you to cast your mind back to December 1, when you set off across the moor. Tell me what you experienced. Philip Spencer: I’m walking along the moor. I see this little something. Can’t tell, but he’s green. It’s moving towards me. Oh! I can’t move, and the creature is still coming towards me. I’m stuck, and everything has gone fuzzy. I’m floating in the air. I want to get down! I don’t like it. I’m going round this corner, and this green thing is in front of me. Oh God! I want to get down! There’s a big silver saucer thing. There’s a door in it, and I don’t want to go in. Everything has gone black now.

Later, when interviewed, Spencer would expound that he had been levitated two feet off the ground. The creature was allegedly pulling him toward the saucer, like a child pulling a balloon.

The Creatures Warning Him About Earth

During one of his interviews, Spencer said the beings seated him in front of a screen and showed him apocalyptic imagery.

Dr. Singleton: What’s happening now? Philip Spencer: I’m going through a door. It’s an empty room. Two of those green creatures have come with me. There’s a picture. It’s starting to move on the wall. Dr. Singleton: Pictures on the wall? Philip Spencer: The creatures seem concerned about the damage. Now there’s another picture, another film. He’s asking me a question. “Do you understand?” I said, “Yes.” Dr. Singleton: You mentioned a film. Philip Spencer: There were two films. There were lots of scenes of destruction, like on the news. Lots of waste was going into the river, and people were starving. Dr. Singleton: What about the other film? Do you want to tell me about it? Philip Spencer: I’m not supposed to tell anyone about the other film. It’s not for them to know.

Philip Spencer’s Clearer Definition of the Beings

Under hypnosis and the new events that unfolded, Dr. Singleton managed to form a clearer picture of what these creatures looked like.

Dr. Singleton: You mentioned some green creatures. Would you describe them to me? Philip Spencer: He’s quite small. He’s got big pointed ears, big eyes. He hasn’t got a nose. He’s only got a tiny mouth, and his hands are enormous. His arms are long, and he’s got funny feet. Dr. Singleton: Funny feet? Philip Spencer: They’re like V-shaped, like two big toes. It must be difficult to walk with that. Dr. Singleton: You mentioned big hands. Can you say more about the hands? Philip Spencer: It’s got three big fingers, like sausages. They’re very big, bigger than my hands. Dr. Singleton: About how tall would you say these creatures were? Philip Spencer: He’s about four feet, comes to the lump on my stomach. He’s about as high, just a bit taller, than my stomach.

When asked about the entire session, Dr. Jim Singleton affirmed that Spencer was genuine throughout and was definitely under hypnosis.

He was certainly recounting the incident as something which had actually happened. He described things typically as someone would recall a past event.

What Is the Ilkley Moor UFO Incident’s Significance in Ufology?

The Ilkley Moor UFO incident holds a special place in ufology because it’s one of those cases that gathered numerous compelling pieces of evidence:

• The photo
• Missing-time experience
• Regressive hypnosis

The case sparked a sharply divided public response. While Philip Spencer’s photograph became one of the most widely shared alien images in UFO history, many people questioned its authenticity for a range of reasons.

Regardless of where opinions landed, the incident played a role in shaping how UFO encounters were discussed and interpreted in the late twentieth century. For further context and related sightings, readers can explore additional analysis on UFO Connect.

FAQ

What happened in the Ilkley Moor UFO incident?

The Ilkley Moor UFO incident occurred on December 1, 1987, when Philip Spencer claimed to have encountered a strange green creature on Ilkley Moor. He took a photograph of it and later claimed to have experienced unexplained missing time before returning home.

Is the Ilkley Moor UFO photograph considered authentic?

The Ilkley Moor UFO photo is still widely debated, and no consensus has been reached. Some ufologists believe the creature in the picture is a humanoid, while skeptics think it could be a dummy or a misidentified object.

Who investigated the Ilkley Moor UFO case?

Several UFO researchers have examined the incident over the years, but the most prominent one was Philip Spencer, who took the photo to several professionals for analysis.

References