A non-binary British person whose naked body was found in Italy had attended an LGBTQ 'pagan gathering' where some members allegedly engaged in dangerous sex games and drug-taking.
uncertain
members → find → games
Benjamin Braithwaite, 35, was last month discovered dead in Piano Milo, Sicily, beside a length of rope.
asserted
Braithwaite → discover → rope
It is not yet known how they died but there are speculative theories over whether foul play or a sex game gone wrong are to blame – and it has also been suggested that they could have taken their own life.
uncertain
they → know → life
Officers are believed to be keeping an open mind about their cause of death.
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Officers → believe → death
Braithwaite, who is said to have been non-binary and used the pronouns they/them, reportedly went by a number of names including River and Wasp.
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who → say → River
They are understood to have arrived in the area several days before their death and had become involved with a group living an alternative lifestyle in abandoned farm buildings and makeshift camps surrounded by countryside.
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They → understand → countryside
Their body was found naked at around 3am on September 13, close to a farmhouse where members of the community had been staying.
asserted
members → find → community
According to local reports, a rope was discovered nearby and initial medical examinations identified marks around their neck, prompting investigators to examine whether they could have died as a result of asphyxiation.
uncertain
they → accord → asphyxiation
According to The Telegraph, Braithwaite had been attending a 'queer' pagan event organised by a New Age organisation.
uncertain
Braithwaite → accord → organisation
A former member, who left after becoming 'disenchanted', described the organisation as a 'very paganistic' group.
He claimed that some members participated in 'druidy' rituals, frequent drug-taking and dangerous sex games, with 'vulnerable' newcomers subjected to 'sexual grooming'.
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newcomers → leave → grooming
The ex-member told the newspaper: 'When I heard about [their] death, I wasn't surprised...
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I → tell → death
I always knew that one day something like this would happen.'
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something → know → this
He added: 'I found it to be harmless – until it wasn't.
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it → add → ?
There are some characters who are quite dark, manipulative.'
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who → be → ?
The man claimed that in reality the group, whose members call themselves Radical Faeries, was 'a front for drugs and sexual and spiritual grooming'.
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members → claim → drugs
He said: 'I have seen this scenario before.
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I → say → scenario
Someone who is fairly attractive and new joins the Faeries and certain people take advantage of them, sexually and spiritually.'
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people → join → them
The whistleblower added that newcomers were often 'at a low ebb and vulnerable'.
He believes Braithwaite could have died in a drug-fuelled 'choking' sex game or even 'rape under the influence of drugs'.
There is no suggestion the organisers of the group were aware of any such activities or that they support them.
uncertain
they → add → them
Speaking about his own experiences with the group, he recalled how one member in Northumberland allegedly brandished a knife during a psychotic episode after taking drugs.
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member → speak → drugs
And in a separate incident in France, the man claimed another member had their drink spiked.
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drink → claim → France
The 35-year-old Briton was found at around 3am on September 13 in the countryside between Noto and Canicattini Bagni in the province of Syracuse.
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Briton → find → Syracuse
Local reports suggest investigators have moved away from the possibility that they took their own life, while a theory that their death may have followed an erotic game gone wrong remains under investigation.
uncertain
death → suggest → investigation
Members of the organisation believe they died by suicide with one message in an encrypted chat room stating that 'Albion Faerie Wasp (also known by River) took their own life', with claims Braithwaite had been suffering with depression 'most of their life'.
uncertain
Braithwaite → believe → life
The 35-year-old Briton was found at around 3am on September 13 in the countryside between Noto and Canicattini Bagni in the province of Syracuse
A post-mortem examination was carried out last month, although Italian reports say it has not yet provided a definitive explanation for how Braithwaite died.
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Braithwaite → find → explanation
Toxicology and other examinations are expected to provide further evidence as police continue to reconstruct their final hours.
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police → expect → hours
Braithwaite is understood to have arrived in the area several days before their death and had become involved with a group living an alternative lifestyle in abandoned farm buildings and makeshift camps surrounded by countryside.
asserted
Braithwaite → understand → countryside
Their body was found naked close to a farmhouse where members of the community had been staying.
asserted
members → find → community
According to local reports, a rope was discovered nearby and initial medical examinations identified marks around their neck, prompting investigators to examine whether they could have died as a result of asphyxiation.
uncertain
they → accord → asphyxiation
Italian police are also investigating whether drugs or other substances were involved after detectives found a substance at the scene as well as an image of a half-man, half-goat painted on a stone slab with curved horns and a goatee beard.
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detectives → investigate → horns
Local reports at the time of their death claimed imagery had been found nearby of 'a goat's head, several bottles of psychotropic drugs, and other objects suggesting rituals'.
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imagery → claim → rituals
However, authorities have stressed that there is no evidence linking Braithwaite's death to an esoteric or occult ritual.
But police have declined to comment on whether Braithwaite was murdered or died from an overdose.
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Braithwaite → stress → overdose
Local reports suggest, however, that investigators do not believe they hung themselves.
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they → suggest → themselves
Braithwaite was reportedly found after people attending a gathering at the rural site noticed they had left while they were eating and playing music.
uncertain
they → find → music
Inside the tent a bondage-style leather harness hanging from the ceiling was found in addition to a shelf of rubber gas masks.
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harness → hang → masks
A nearby cave contained a large collection of women's fancy dress clothing.
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cave → contain → clothing
The website Faerie Sex Magick states that during so-called workshops: 'Using heart circles, we explore deeper levels of emotional intimacy, group communication, and affirmative consent.
'
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we → state → intimacy
We call for authenticity in all expressions, including erotic touch, sexual healing, and mutual liberation.
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We → call → touch
The workshop is intended to explore deeper levels of emotional and physical intimacy than might be possible in other faerie spaces.
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workshop → intend → spaces
'Within the structure and safety [of] the workshop, we create a container to allow us to explore the edges of our desire and to realize the fullness of our healing potential...
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us → create → potential
A nonparticipant faerie, whom we call a dragon, usually cares for us by cooking meals while we circle – amazing faerie love! – and serves as a buffer with the outside world so we can focus on the group dynamics in isolation.
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we → call → isolation
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia
