Robert Taylor incident

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The Robert Taylor Incident, sometimes also referred to as the Livingston Incident or the Dechmont Woods Encounter is the name given an event which occurred in Dechmont Law hill near Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland in 1979, in which local forester Robert "Bob" Taylor reported encountering an extraterrestrial spacecraft. ^[1][2] It is notable as being the first reported UFO case to have been officially investigated by the Scottish Lothian and Borders Police. As of 2007, it was the only recorded incident in which a UFO sighting has been the subject of a criminal investigation in the United Kingdom.^[1]

The site where Taylor's encounter is said to have occurred has since become a tourist destination popular with UFO enthusiasts. ^[1]

Contents 1 The Encounter 2 Investigation and evidence 3 Explanations 4 References

[edit] The Encounter

On November 9th 1979, approximately between 10:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Taylor, who was at the time working for the Livingston Development Corporation, parked his pickup truck at the side of a road just off the M8 motorway with the intention of examining the progress of some saplings in the forest. Being unable to access the forest by truck, Taylor and his dog made their way into the forest on foot along one of the forest paths that lead up the side of Dechmont Law hill.

Upon entering a clearing approximately 500 meters away from his truck, Taylor saw what he described as a large, circular object, spheroid in shape and approximately twenty feet (six meters) in diameter hovering above the forest floor. The object had a narrow rim running along its circumference and the surface of the object seemed to be constructed from a dark metallic material which appeared transparent in places. Taylor later described the surface of the object having rough texture similar to that of sandpaper and suggested that by having transparent areas on its surface, the object was attempting to camouflage itself with its surroundings.^[3]

Taylor began to approach the object and upon doing so two smaller spheres three feet in diameter, which looked to be made from the same material, appeared to drop from underneath the larger sphere and began to roll towards him. Taylor described the smaller spheres as having appendages, making them similar to sea mines in appearance. As the small objects moved towards him, Taylor described them as making a "plopping" noise as the appendages made contact with the ground. The small spheres manoeuvred around Taylor and by using their appendages, attached themselves to each side of his trousers, just underneath the pockets. Taylor said at this point, he heard a hissing noise coming from the small objects and he began to choke due to a strong acrid smell which he believes was being secreted by them. He described this smell as "burning automobile brake linings"^[3]. By now, Taylor was aware he was being dragged by the smaller spheres along the ground towards the larger object. He eventually fell forwards onto his face and lost consciousness.

Taylor later regained consciousness and upon doing so discovered the object had disappeared. Taylor then discovered he had trouble attempting to speak and could not get to his feet. He then crawled 100 meters along the ground and managed to stagger the rest of the distance back to where he had parked his truck. On reaching the truck he attempted to call for help on the truck's two way radio, but struggled due to his loss of voice. Taylor then attempted to get back home in the truck, but accidentally ditched it in soft earth while trying to drive in his condition. Due to his vehicle being stuck, Taylor walked the rest of the way back home^[3]. Other sources state the truck did not start and Taylor had to walk home from its parked location.^[4]

Taylor was always cited as being a man of good character, honest and reliable. He never asked for payment on reciting his version of events and up until his death at the age of 89 in 2007, still defended what he had seen on Dechmont Law hill. Today, a plaque (which was later stolen) and a small statuette are located in the clearing where Taylor stated he saw the object.^[5]

[edit] Investigation and evidence

Upon reaching home at 11:30 a.m., Mary Taylor, Taylor's wife, expressed concern at his state. She assumed he had been attacked and called the police. Taylor intervened and requested she contacted Malcolm Drummond, a supervisor at Livingston Development Corporation. While awaiting Drummond's arrival, Taylor complained of a headache and kept saying that he had been "gassed". Drummond and Taylor both attended the scene of the incident a short while later the same day and discovered strange indentations in the forest floor which Taylor stated had not been there earlier that morning. One set were described as looking like rungs in ladder, the other indentations which numbered forty in total were suspected to be the tracks left by the smaller objects. No scorch marks were seen on the forest floor. Staff of the Livingston Development Corporation later took photographs of the scene.^[4]

Taylor was seen by a doctor who found only grazing to his chin and thighs. Due to his injuries the police recorded the matter as a common assault. Taylor's wife noticed tears in his trousers where Taylor claimed the small objects had attached themselves to him. The police later seized the trousers to be forensically examined. The trousers were later returned by the police and to this day are held by the British UFO Research Association.^[4]

[edit] Explanations

It has been suggested by investigative science writer Steuart Campbell that Taylor actually witnessed a mirage of Venus, which induced an epileptic fit causing him to hallucinate the whole encounter. According to Robert Taylor, he had never experienced epilepsy before or after the event.^[4]

The indentations have been described as being that of heavy construction equipment. CID Detective Sergeant Ian Wark investigating the case checked all the forestry equipment used in the area; none of it had tracks that matched and there were no construction vehicles in the vicinity.^[6]

[edit] References

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