A row has broken out between a 'psychic surgeon' who believes he once cured a man of cancer and a campaigner who says he is a con man.
Gary Mannion, 20, from South Harrow, says he has been psychic since he was 13 but is furious a website called badpsychics.com ridicules his beliefs.  
The spiritual healer, who practices at Gold's Gym in Sheepcote Road, Harrow, has even sought legal advice about the internet site which he believes is defamatory.
He said: "There are sceptics out there which is fair enough but this is a personal attack on me. They have been hounding me for months. They are spreading letters around and have set up a website.
"I have looked into taking legal action and spoken to a lawyer which cost me a couple of hundred pounds. He told me it would cost thousands of pounds to pursue and I wouldn't make my money back.
"Am I not allowed my own beliefs? If a scientist believes in God does that make him a crackpot because he cannot prove without doubt the existence of God?"
Mr Mannion was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and put on Ritalin from a young age. He is now a keen promoter of the New Age 'Indigo Movement' which believes children with ADHD represent a higher level of human evolution and may even have paranormal powers.
He said: "Indigo children are right-brain orientated. They are very psychic from a young age and are advanced spiritual beings."
The healer, who has no medical qualifications, also believes a man he once performed psychic surgery on was cured of cancer but was asked to remove this assertion from his website by Trading Standards.
He said: "A guy who was terminally ill with liver cancer came to see me and I performed psychic surgery. Two days later he went for a scan and the cancer had gone. Trading Standards asked me to change a testimonial on my site because they said if I claimed I cured the cancer I would be in breach of the Cancer Act. So I changed it straight away."
But Julia Atkinson, administrator of the badpsychics website, has been investigating Mr Mannion over the past year. She contacted the Observer and said: "I think the people of Harrow need to know about the claims and activities of Mr Mannion. We have gone through them with a fine tooth comb and cannot believe he makes such outrageous claims. The prospect of sick people being tempted to use Gary Mannion's services in order to avoid drugs and surgery horrifies me."
For more information visit www.garymannion.com or www.badpsychics.com