The prophet and the mysterious death of Charmain Speirs

The Prophet and the Mysterious Death of Charmain Speirs

At 40, Charmain Speirs encountered Eric Adusah, a self-proclaimed prophet. For years, she had been active in Pentecostalism, a rapidly expanding Christian movement, yet felt unfulfilled. “She’d just had enough of normal men,” her companion Anne-Marie recalls. “She wanted that man of God. She wanted what was promised for her.” Charmain later described meeting a “famous preacher” who became her new love interest. The man, Adusah, was the leader of the Global Light Revival Church, where he was labeled a prophet and believed to channel divine revelations directly from God.

Charmain’s Early Life and Journey to Faith

Charmain was born in Arbroath, a small coastal town in Scotland, during the 1970s and 1980s. Her parents, Linda and Peter, worked as a cleaner and a plumber, respectively. Neighbors remember her as a lively socializer, someone who drew others in with her charisma. At 19, she relocated to Glasgow, where she held various roles in retail, dining, and hospitality. Linsey, a close friend, shared that Charmain had experienced multiple relationships, some intense and short-lived, including a brief stay at a women’s shelter. Her family also endured hardship, with a brother lost in a car accident and another succumbing to heroin addiction. By her early thirties, she moved to Swansea to begin anew, enrolling in a course to study photojournalism. In 2007, she gave birth to Isaac, her first child, and found solace in faith during the challenges of motherhood, joining the Liberty Church.

The Rise of a Prophet and the Marriage

Eric Adusah, hailing from Ghana, frequently appeared on Christian TV channels. As head pastor of another Pentecostal congregation in London, he was more than a spiritual leader—he was a figure of influence. Charmain and Adusah connected via a Christian dating platform, and within weeks, their engagement was announced. “She hadn’t even told me she had a boyfriend,” Charmain’s mother Linda Speirs said, surprised by the news. The couple married in September 2014, and Charmain swiftly became the “first lady” of Adusah’s church. A bridesmaid, Mehrunissa Thomas, noted: “She had gone from just being a normal person and suddenly she was this celebrity.” Charmain embraced the spotlight, but her friend Anne-Marie painted a different picture. “She said basically: ‘He doesn’t show me any love. There’s no love, there’s no passion’ was her words.”

The Disappearance and the Evidence

Charmain, now expecting Adusah’s child, returned to Arbroath to reunite with her mother. It was the first time Linda had seen her since the wedding. During this visit, Charmain confided in her mother about the strain in her marriage and her plan to move back home. However, she boarded a bus to London and then flew to Ghana, never to return. Police records confirm Adusah was the last person to see Charmain alive. In his statement to the BBC, he described a routine evening: “We went out for lunch, then visited the pool together. After that, we returned to our hotel room for the evening and had a nice time together.” He claimed to have left the hotel after midnight for a 6am meeting in Accra before a scheduled flight back to the UK, asserting Charmain wished to stay longer in Ghana. A hotel worker, whose name is kept confidential, contradicted this. “The Prophet’s account leaves out a crucial detail,” he said. “Late at night, two tall men arrived with Adusah and accompanied him to room 112 where Charmain was staying.”

A BBC Investigation Unearths New Clues

Over a decade after her death, a BBC Disclosure investigation revealed gaps in Adusah’s version of events. The documentary series Charmain and the Prophet includes accounts from former partners who describe Adusah as a threat to women. Despite his denial of involvement in Charmain’s death, the inquiry suggests his narrative may not capture the full story. As the details unfold, questions linger about the pressures of faith, the intensity of the relationship, and the events leading to Charmain’s untimely end.