And finally… Hallowe’en law suit

Lori Sforza, who leads a pagan church and runs a witchcraft shop in Salem, Massachusetts, filed for court-ordered protection against Christian Day, referred to on his website as the “world’s best known warlock”.

Ms Sforza, 75, said he has harassed her online and on the phone for years.

Mr Day, 45, owns occult shops in Salem Massachusetts as well as New Orleans and was a former business partner of the witch priestess.

Her lawyer, Fiore Porreca, said the warlock repeatedly called her at night to swear at her and made malicious posts about her on social media.

He said Ms Sforza was being “abused, intimidated and harassed” and that her business was suffering as a result.

A judge agreed and granted the protective order against Mr Day. The pair’s business relationship collapsed when Ms Sforza, who used Mr Day’s shop, rent-free, to give psychic readings, opened her own shop nearby.

“This is a business dispute gone wrong. That’s all it was,” Mr Day said.

“They don’t want me to make snide remarks on Facebook; I won’t make snide remarks on Facebook.”

Ms Sforza repeatedly told the judge she could see her own future, adding: “That’s why I’m here today.”

After the judge decided in favour of the witch priestess, Mr Day stormed out of the court and vowed to appeal the order, saying: “I’m going to fight this every step of the way because it’s unjust.”

Ms Sforza claims descent from Italian witches who healed victims of the bubonic plague and is founder of Our Lord and Lady Of The Trinacrian Rose – a pagan church based in Salem.

Ms Sforza and Mr Day made headlines in 2011 when together they cast spells on actor Charlie Sheen, who had described himself on national television as a “Vatican assassin warlock”.