Leanord Low, 48, thinks the haunting image he has captured shows the ghost of a dead girl inside a former jail tower
Leanord Low, 48, thinks the haunting image he has taken shows the ghost of a dead girl inside a former jail tower.
The building, attached to a historic church, was the scene of one of the last and most infamous witchcraft trials in the UK.
Situated in the pretty coastal Scottish village of Pittenweem, people accused of being witches in the 17th and 18th centuries were routinely locked up there, tortured, tried and usually sentenced to death by burning.
Leonard, from Largs, claims he was banned from the building by its minister after capturing a ghostly image inside church halls five years ago.
Read more: Scientists discover 'ghost' octopus in deep ocean - guess what they called it?
But after revisiting the adjoining tower, he managed to take a picture of a woman he believes is a witch who died three centuries ago.
SWNS 
"I lightened the image and this is what I saw."
The blurry image shows the outlines of a woman no more than 5ft tall."
Leonard said she only became visible in the picture after he brightened it up.
His research has exposed the historic trials of 110 suspected witches between the Kirkcaldy coastline and St Andrews, with 26 accused in Pittenweem.
SWNS 
He said: "This picture was taken on the staircase where a wee girl has been seen on occasion by many witnesses.
"Have I finally caught her?"
This is not the first time paranormal activity has been spotted in the clock tower.
In March last year ghost hunters claimed to have captured footage of ghostly spirits in the building.
And, despite sceptics saying ghost sightings are merely the result of an avid imagination, Leonard himself has captured countless images of spirits during his ten-year investigation in Pittenweem.
He said: "Pictures I've taken in the past have been taken with up to eight people around me.
"I've got witnesses and statements to back up the pictures.
SWNS 
"It is only with patience and dedication you catch something like this, which makes it real."
Leonard, author of The Weem Witch, uses cutting-edge motion sensors and infra-red cameras to record his footage.
He claims it was a picture captured within the church itself, adjoining the tower, that led to his ban from the church.
He said: "I was in the tower when I caught a figure darting into the doorway leading through the tunnel into the church.
"I got the key to the church and sat for hours in the pews with my camera.
"Finally, I saw something from the balcony looking down at me and snapped the ghostly figure."
Leonard said he got the key for the church from a shop in the local high street, and as a result of his holy spirit snaps staff are refusing to give him access.
He said: "The minister of the church, Margaret Rose, had never personally seen the photograph so I'm stunned I have been banned because of it.
SWNS 
Read more: Eerie 9/11 footage captures 'ghost' rising from the wreckage of the World Trade Centre
But Rev Margaret Rose of Pittenweem Parish Church rubbished claims that Leonard - who she referred to as a "writer of fiction" - had been banned.
She said: "These claims are not true. I know he gained access to my building once without permission. Since then, he has never asked for permission to go back in.
"Because he has never asked he can't make a claim of being banned.
"Anybody is welcome in our church to worship."
But when asked if Leonard ever would be welcome, should he seek permission, the minister stated: "I'm not going to make a view on a hypothetical situation."