'Ghost' smashes pint in front of stunned pub staff

ExCo

Richard Hawthorne claims he was 'never a believer' in the supernatural until he took over the High Crown pub in Chester-le-street, County Durham, in 2024.

But since then, he claims to have clocked a 'faceless' ghost wearing a suit and trilby hat lurking behind the pump taps multiple times.

CCTV footage from October 2 last year shows the 49-year-old chatting to a customer when a full pint on the bar starts eerily sliding towards the edge, tipping over and smashing to the floor.

Richard was caught on camera with his arms raised in the air in shock after the glass slipped through his fingers and soaked his legs.

While one punter looks startled, Richard says others immediately blamed it on 'the ghost'.

The clip attracted more than 300,000 views on TikTok from believers and sceptics alike, with many left scratching their heads at how it happened.

Richard, from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, said: "I didn't drink in here before, so I had no knowledge of the pub and I was never ever a believer in stuff like that. But twice I've seen a bloke in a suit, with no facial features, wearing a trilby hat.

"I saw a reflection in the window, he was walking past, I could see him over the top of the pumps. It was like a guy you see in old photographs. Since I took over here, I've spoken to previous landlords and customers, and too many people say the same thing for it to be a coincidence.

"It was my pint, I put it there while I was talking to a friend sitting opposite me at the bar. It had been sitting there for a long time, even longer than in the video, about three or four minutes, and it never moved.

"Then as soon as I stepped back it followed and smashed everywhere. It could well have been condensation, but it was just too quick. The other punters said, 'that's the ghost'."

Charlene Bruce, former landlady of the High Crown, said she had several encounters with the 'suited ghost' that had terrified staff.

The 52-year-old, who handed the pub over to Richard in 2024, claims she even hired a medium to try and communicate with the ghost and find out what it wanted.

Charlene said: "I was cleaning up with one of my staff and she went white, she couldn't speak. She pointed over to the bar and said she saw a man in a pinstripe suit.

"I looked into the history of the pub and had a medium come out, three or four years ago. Seeing that gentleman we wanted to see if he was passing a message, but he wouldn't talk to us."

TikTok users were split on whether the pint smash was caused by a spirit or a more mundane explanation.

One comment read: "Charlene, one of the previous owners, has a video of the chairs being pulled out from the bar on its own. The ghost is a man who sits at the bar in a pinstripe suit, he's very friendly and probably thirsty."

Richard replied: "She sure does. I've seen it."

Others pointed out condensation on the glass or an uneven surface may be to blame.

One wrote: "Condensation, caused by the cold drink and the bar not being level, allowed it to slide."

Another commented: "I can see the slope of the bar from my house."