The A70 Incident – Alien Abduction On A Scottish Road

We have touched briefly on one of Scotland’s most famous and seemingly credible UFO encounters – the 1992 A70 Incident, sometimes simply called The A70 Case – very briefly in our examination of the Livingston UFO encounter of 1979, itself another one of Scotland’s most compelling otherworldly cases.

A quiet drive to a friend’s house one summer’s evening would see two friends experience events that would alter the course of their lives. Although they were aware of something untoward having taken place at the time, it would be a further six months before the intense and strange dreams forced them to seek the assistance of UFO researchers and ultimately, hypnotic regression.

What’s more, the incident was one that the Ministry of Defense – according to recently released government files – appeared to have an interest in the case. They were at least sent details of the account four years later in 1996. Might this be, as we will examine shortly, due to the fact that many of the details of the incident can be found in other accounts from across the decades of modern UFO research? And if so, what do these government departments know, if anything, that the general public remains ignorant of?

Like other similar cases – perhaps a testament to their authenticity – the details that surround and revolve around the incident force us to look at other aspects and explanations for the UFO and alien question. Ones that, at first, appear to have little in common, but might prove to be crucial to unlocking the truths of such accounts.

Indeed, one of the researchers who has perhaps produced some of the most extensive research on the case is veteran Scottish UFO investigator, Malcolm Robinson. And while several accounts can be found online, most go back to Robinson’s research (which we highly recommend).

A “Curtain Of White Light” Dropped To The Ground!

On the evening of 17^th August 1992, at around 8 pm, Garry Wood and Colin Wright were driving along a quiet road near Edinburgh on their way to Tarbrax, a small village in East Lothian. ^[1] They were due to deliver a satellite television system to a friend in the village. However, the journey was one that would change both of their lives forever.

It was just after the pair had driven past Harperrigg Reservoir when they noticed something strange for the first time. Overhead was a strange black object moving in their direction. Unlike an airplane or helicopter, however, there were no lights on the underside, or anywhere else.

The strange object appeared rounded on the underside and appeared to have “three parts to it”. It was approximately 20 feet over their car and appeared to be around 30 feet wide. Furthermore, the bizarre object had a “shiny, smooth” look to its exterior and appeared windowless. Both men later agreed that the object appeared unusual and certainly not like any object they would have expected to see in the skies over Scotland, or anywhere else.

Then, according to the government files on the incident, “the object dropped a curtain of white light” directly in front of the witness’s car. This strange curtain stretched right across the road, leaving the pair no option but to continue into the strange “shimmering” glow. Believing that the best option was to increase his speed so he could get through it quicker, Garry pressed down hard on the accelerator.

As he drove into it, Garry would recall that it had the appearance of a “detuned television set” with multiple “flickering lights”.

Moments after their vehicle penetrated this strange blanket-type beam, each of them blacked out.

Stood Outside In The Middle Of Nothingness!

It wouldn’t be until the two men underwent hypnotic regression that the details of what followed after their car had entered the light. We should note that these details come to us mainly from media reports several months before the MoD came into possession of the case (although the details of the hypnosis sessions are not detailed in the MoD report).

According to the details of the sessions, told by Garry to the media, the next thing he realized after driving into the light was standing outside the car. ^[2] However, he wasn’t sure where exactly he was stood. Everything around him was completely dark with not even the slightest suggestion of light anywhere. So much so, he couldn’t see where the car was. Nor could he locate Colin.

It was around this time that he began to suspect he might have died. Several seconds after this thought entered his mind, he would seemingly black out once more.

The next he knew, he was back inside the car, which was moving erratically “all over the road”. What’s more, he could hear Colin screaming at him to watch the road and control the car. Despite his mind still coming to terms with where he was and what had happened, Garry managed to bring the vehicle to a halt.

We should note that some (media) reports state that the vehicle was on the wrong side of the road, with some even claiming that the vehicle was stationary when Garry and Colin “came to” following the bizarre and unnerving encounter.

Whatever the nature of these discrepancies in the general reporting of the incident, the details of what occurred during those blackouts – which further probing would reveal as we will examine shortly – were even more disturbing.

Something Not Quite Right!

After sitting quietly for several moments, the two men would look at each other. Each could tell by the look in the other’s eyes that both had experienced the same bizarre encounter, even if they had no idea what had just happened to them.

They would take a moment to get a breath of fresh air. As they did, it was obvious that the strange, black object was now gone, as was the equally strange wall of light that had dropped from above.

After taking several moments to gather their thoughts, they would reenter the car and set off back on their journey to the small village of Tarbrax. However, it was when they arrived at their friend’s home that the very real suggestion in the men’s minds that something truly out of the ordinary had taken place began to swirl.

As Garry brought the car to a stop, he would reach down to unclip his seatbelt. However, when he did so he would realize that his seatbelt was no clipped in. He had completed, at least the second part of the journey, without wearing it. This was obviously odd, especially as he was certain he had put it on when setting off earlier that evening.

He let the thought go for now and began unloading their cargo with Colin before carrying it to the door of their friend. Once there, they knocked and waited. However, after several moments when no answer came from inside the property, Garry knocked again. A few moments later, a window from the second floor of the house opened. The men’s friend, himself looking tired and dazed, poked his head out and asked why they were knocking on his door at such a late hour.

Missing Time!

This puzzled Garry, who expected the time to be around 10:40 pm. When he stated this to his friend who was still peering out of the upstairs window, he was informed it was, in fact, almost 1 am.  Garry protested once more, but when he was shown proof of the time, a cold wave went over him. Somehow, and with no memory of the time, he and Colin had “lost” around two hours of time.

It was at this point that the friend inside the house began to realize that something extraordinary must have taken place on their journey. He came downstairs a moment later and let the two men into the house.

Both would begin to tell of what they had seen in the sky, as well as of the truly strange “curtain of light” that dropped from the sky forcing their car to drive directly into it. Their friend would provide each of the men with a piece of paper so that they could draw what they had seen.

The three men would speak for several hours of the incident. Neither Garry and Colin, nor their friend, could come up with any reason or explanation for the strange happenings. By the time the two visitors left their friend’s home, it was almost dawn. They would both decide to take a different route back to Edinburgh.

Severe Tiredness And Intense Nightmares!

Garry, in particular, would experience a state of severe tiredness over the following days. This, it would appear, was compounded by the fact that he began to have trouble sleeping also. When he did manage to sleep, he would suffer from intense and strange nightmares.

All of these would contribute to Garry suffering from severe headaches which would lead to him visiting his doctor. However, despite a thorough examination, there was nothing to be found wrong with him.

Neither of the men wished to report the incident to the police. Nor did they, at least initially, wish to speak with the newspapers or other media outlets. Each feared the ridicule they would receive if they did so. They did, however, make a report of the incident to the British UFO Research Association (BUFORA).

Following this, Garry would begin to read more and more UFO literature in order to understand what had happened that evening in the summer of 1992. He would eventually discover Strange Phenomena Investigations and then, ultimately, Malcolm Robinson who, as we have mentioned would conduct extensive investigation and research on the incident.

It was through Robinson that the suggestion of hypnotic regression would first surface. And while both men were nervous of the prospect at first, they would eventually agree to undergo, to some, the controversial procedure. The initial sessions would be conducted by respected Scottish hypnotherapist, Helen Walters.

Several Humanoids Approach The Car

The sessions were as intriguing as they were explosive. And the more sessions they would undergo, the more details would surface. Eventually, between the two men’s accounts, a fuller picture would emerge.

It would appear that when the car entered the strange curtain of light the vehicle had come to a stop. Then, several “small humanoids” would approach their car – “three on each side”. Then, the doors on each side suddenly opened.

Garry, according to Colin’s recollections, was placed on a strange stretcher that moved through the air without any of the strange entities even touching it. It was, he would state as if the stretcher was “floating” thought the air.

Colin, however, would seemingly recall walking along a strange ramp that led inside the strange craft that each had witnessed moments earlier. Once inside, he was in a strange room that was “lit by a dazzling light”. This is perhaps an interesting detail.

We have mentioned before that many people who claim to have been on board a UFO tell of this strange lighting. And what’s more, on many occasions, witnesses speak of this light not having a definite source. While we do not know if this is the case here, it is perhaps something to keep in mind.

The next thing he recalled; he was in a strange, circular corridor. One of the strange creatures was leading him somewhere. It was here that Colin’s memory began to appear to him in “jumps” – as if he too blacked out.

A Featureless “Organic” Room

Colin’s next memory was of being in a “featureless room” with strange curved walls. The only feature in the room was a chair in the center. Once more, this is a detail that comes up often in such alien abduction accounts. A round room with only a chair in the middle. Once more, such details are suggestive of the same intelligence behind these strange occurrences.

Even more intriguing is the detail that the room had an “organic” feel to it. As if it was alive.

Colin’s mind then jumped forward once more. Now, he was naked and sat on the chair in the middle of the room. As he sat there, some kind of strange examination of his body was taking place. As this was happening, he would recall looking up at the ceiling of the room. It was “corrugated”, “translucent” and with “diffused lighting” seeping through from somewhere beyond it.

From this scene, his memory jumped forward once more. Now, still naked, he was in a strange see-through container. It was, he would recall, similar to “glass or Perspex”. Around his ankles were straps.

Perhaps, though, the most unsettling image was of the other glass-like containers he could see all around him. Each of which contained people, all of whom were also naked. As if for scenic effect, a strange dry-ice fog appeared to be making its way around the room.

Then, as he looked around the room, he witnessed several humanoid figures, much taller than the others who had approached their car and led him on to the strange craft. That is when he realized that three of the strange humanoids were heading in his direction.

A Strange Device “Scanning Him!”

As this was happening, the container began to frost up meaning he could not see through it any longer. This began to make him panic. So much so, that he almost began to break down in tears. Whether it was coincidence or not, as soon as this feeling hit him, the frosting in the container began to fade away.

Then, following this a strange device went into motion a short distance away and approached the container. Two glowing red lights were present on the device, which moved up and down as if it was “scanning him”.

As we will examine shortly, Garry’s recollections would ultimately prove to be as explosive as Colin’s. He would, however, prove to be much more receptive to the notion of exploring just what had happened to them that evening than Colin would. He would choose to pull away from the media and would refuse to give interviews on the subject. In fact, some reports even suggest that he would reject the incident entirely.

This is perhaps an interesting notion. That an experience could be so traumatic that the subject would deny that it happened. Or might, just in the interests of balance, it suggests that while something strange did happen, the details that were recalled after the incident was not entirely truthful. As we will examine later, an opportunity to provide proof of this truthfulness would present itself shortly after the regression sessions took place.

There are also further intriguing revelations to be examined in the released MoD files. ^[3] For now, though, we will turn our attention to the recollections of Garry Wood.

A Strange “Viscous Gel-like Liquid” In An Opening In The Ground!

Perhaps lending credibility to each other’s accounts, the revelations that would come from Garry’s regression sessions was very much in sympathy with his friend’s. For example, he would find himself in an almost identical circular room, although instead of a chair, he would find himself laid flat on a table in the middle of the room. Even stranger, although there was nothing physically holding him down, he was unable to sit up.

Above him was a “lens-like device” that appeared to be “twisting and turning” as it moved through the room. As it moved, a strange “whooshing” sound accompanied it. As he watched this device move into position above him, he noticed a “long, thin, translucent arm” had stretched outward directly over his chest.

Then, without warning, this extended arm suddenly “dropped” downward, landing near his shoulder. This appeared to cause great pain to Garry – so much so, that it would actually cause him to come out of his hypnotic state during the session.

He would, however, once back under, recall further details, albeit, like Colin, some of which were random and appeared to have gaps missing from in between them.  For example, one particularly bizarre memory he would speak of is of a hole opening on the floor containing a “viscous gel-like liquid”.

Out of this bizarre substance, a column would rise and form, sending out an electrical noise. Much like before, an extension moved out of the “tin-like” device and stretch outward toward him. It was eventually level with each of his eyes allowing Garry to see two glowing red lights at the end of the device.

Then, things turned even stranger.

We Want “Sanctuary!”

It was around this time that he would notice there was considerable activity around the pool of liquid in the floor. It appeared as if it were starting to vibrate somehow.

He continued to watch, and much to his amazement, and horror, a tall and “incredibly thin, frail-looking creature” emerged from it. Garry would recall how it appeared as though it was an incredible strain for this bizarre entity to free itself from the gel-like substance.

He would further recall that the entity appeared very similar to a gray alien, but one that was “emaciated”. In fact, its skin appeared brutally stretched around its thin skeletal frame, with the rib area looking particularly “discolored and bruised”.

Another particularly intriguing detail of the episode was of a smaller figure, with a “heart-shaped face” that contained strange painted symbols and stripes. He would further recall how these markings were very similar to what you might expect to see on the face of a person from one of the Native American tribes.

He didn’t understand how, but he would ask this figure telepathically, “Why are you doing this?” to which the figure responded, “Sanctuary – we are here already, and we are coming here!”

This apparent two-way telepathic conversation would continue. The figure would inform Garry that their own existence was much the same as that of human beings. It would state, for example, that “we also have concerns and needs”. Maybe most intriguing and disturbing in equal measure is the assertion that human beings, “in many ways are more advanced”, but “you have been capped”.

A Discreet Military Presence?

Just what might have been meant with the claim that we have been “capped”. Indeed, it is a statement that has been pondered over by all who have examined the case. Might it be, as some researchers believe, that human beings, in the distant past, have undergone a collective genetic change (from an external source) which has resulted in our potential being essentially, “slowed down”?

Might such bizarre ideas as telepathy, the ability to see the future, and even being able to leave one’s body be something that should be commonplace to all of us but has been intentionally “capped” by the same intelligence who are visiting us. We will return to examine this notion shortly.

One of the most harrowing memories unleashed from Garry’s mind during the regression sessions was of seeing a young woman sat near the wall of the room, naked and with her legs drawn under her to her chin in an effort to hold and console herself. She would turn to look at him, her face showing the same distress that he was feeling. Her hair was in a “loose shaggy perm” and it was evident that she had been crying significantly.

Perhaps of equal concern, though, is the “small but quite human” man, dressed in a collar and tie, who would stand in the background of the room, seemingly observing proceedings, but discreetly so. Does this suggest some kind of military presence?

And if so, whose country does this military represent? Or might it be, as some researchers suggest, a discreet “shadow” military made up of equally secret departments from the alleged shadow world government? Above all else, for what purpose are they present at such bizarre incidents in the first place?

Evidence Of An Extraterrestrial Presence On Earth?

The idea of a military presence and involvement in alien abductions is one that goes back decades, almost to the beginning of the modern UFO era.

And whether there is any truth in such assertions, it is easy to see why such suspicions arise given how closely the world’s militaries guard their UFO files, at least according to some researchers. And when we add into the mix the abundance of whistleblowers whose claims state that these human-alien arrangements stretch back to the 1950s, those suspicions ratchet up even higher.

What is perhaps also interesting is the notion that this alien race (or races) are prepared, according to several accounts, to part with advanced technology in return for making a home on Earth. We have examined before such claims of a meeting between President Eisenhower and representatives from the grey alien race.

Whether there is any truth to the claims or not is very much open to debate. According to the claims, however, these extraterrestrial representatives would offer advanced technology to their human equivalents. However, as opposed to a place to call their own, if we subscribe to such theories, what they wished in return for their technological prowess was access to human beings. Essentially, permission to carry out abductions.

Is it a coincidence that such alien abductions – as most of them understand and imagine them today – began in the early 1960s, perhaps most predominantly with the Betty and Barney Hill abduction, only a short time after this alleged deal was struck? Is this why there is often a discreet military presence during these often-harrowing incidents?

A Network Of Underground Tunnels And Bases?

Another detail, which we will turn our attention to next, also endorses another aspect of the UFO conspiracy, that of underground extraterrestrial facilities here on Earth. And when we add in the potential human military presence into the mix of details, these underground facilities take on another layer of mystery and intrigue.

He would recall while lying on the table, for example, of seeing tunnels passing by above him as if the object was in motion. And what’s more, these tunnels were most definitely of solid rock.

Might this be why many alien abductions take place on lonely roads (and, as we mention regularly, near large bodies of water)? Might it be not so much in order that the abduction itself can take place, but that an entrance to a secret underground facility might exist near to these quiet locations?

It is a speculative point, admittedly. It is, though, something to keep in mind. Especially when we consider the sheer number of other accounts that speak of underground facilities. And then when we consider that a great number of those speak of chamber-like rooms containing other human beings. In some cases, seemingly from different eras in time.

Indeed, such notions muddy the waters as much as they stir the interest of researchers around the planet. And demonstrates how complex the UFO and alien question really is. And how little we seemingly understand of the truth that lies at the heart of these strange accounts.

We should also turn our attention to the notion that while this alien race might not be visiting us with an aggressive or hostile end game in mind, they still, as we heard above, have “concerns and needs” of their own.

An Alien Race From A Dying World?

The idea that an alien race visiting Earth in order to escape their own dying planet or to ensure the survival of their race is one that has been pondered by UFO researchers for years. Indeed, one researcher into the many alien abduction cases from the late-1970s onwards, David Jacobs, even states in all seriousness, that such incidents are part of a discreet hybridization program whose end goal is to take over the human race essentially, from within, with alien-human hybrids.

While this notion appears outlandish to some, we should note that Jacobs is a very serious academic.

What’s more, it is a detail that shows up in other UFO cases of a similar nature. For example, we have examined the encounter of the Mann family before. They would also be a part of a multiple abduction on a lonely road in the south of England in the summer of 1978. And, like Garry Wood and Colin Wilson, they too would eventually recall their encounter under hypnotic regression following intense nightmares after experiencing a strange episode of missing time.

One of the intriguing details to surface – especially in relation to the claims of “sanctuary” in the A70 incident – is that their abductors were from a “dying world”, with one of the witnesses, John Mann, even recalling that he was shown a “film” but from the “pilot’s viewpoint” of a deserted, rocky, barren landscape which appeared to have been the setting for a brutal war. Even worse, he could clearly see survivors of the clash “collecting their dead” of which there were many.

Perhaps the most intriguing detail to be offered to the Manns was that this race of aliens were “prepared to bargain with their ship’s technology in exchange for them to live on Earth”.

Are Science-Fiction Movies “Priming” Us For An Alien Take Over?

This particular theme has also been the theme central to many science-fiction movies, both successful and unsuccessful efforts. Is this because such an idea is the product of the most imaginative or imaginations? Or might the notion that this is the case be hidden somewhere in our collective subconscious?

What would the purpose for such priming be? Should we, for the sake of argument, take these warnings as exactly that? Or might it be to sow a seed of tolerance for this potential extraterrestrial race who may one day introduce themselves to us?

To anyone with an interest in science-fiction, they will only require a few seconds to reel off just a few of the many movies and television shows that have embraced this concept. Perhaps one of the most popular is the television series V from the early 1980s, which also employed reptilian elements into their plot. Or more recently, such blockbusters as Independence Day played with the notion of alien invaders looking to bleed dry our planet and use it for themselves.

While such films and television series are obviously 100 percent fiction, might we find that they contain certain elements of truth? As wildly speculative as such notions are, we have highlighted before how many myths and legends from antiquity, at least according to some researchers, have a basis in truth. If their research is correct, then why it wouldn’t our contemporary equivalent also contain elements of truth also?

Or might it be the case that this “priming” is not so much by insiders wishing to reveal to the world the presence of aliens on our planet, but by a discreet government presence looking to create such a belief in order to use it to their advantage?

Are “Aliens” (As We Know Them) The Creation Of The “World’s” Governments?

If the belief in an alien presence, even the potential of one, is to the world governments’ advantage, then might the accounts of alien abduction indeed be incidents featuring advanced technology, but technology that is, in fact, very terrestrial.

Might, for reasons that are not apparent to us as a collective, this potential shadow government be behind such alien abductions? Might they be carrying out unknown experiments on humanity for an ultimate end goal we don’t understand? If this was the case, it is perhaps unlikely that such programs would be for our benefit. Perhaps we should consider the phrase from the frail humanoid who emerged from the equally strange liquid that humans had been “capped”.

Such assertions are beyond outrageous to some. And there is no solid proof that such programs exist. However, it is a notion that comes up a lot in UFO and conspiracy circles. That the “elite”, those who rule over all of us, treat us like cattle for their own purposes. Only they do so covertly, under the guise of an enemy from beyond our world?

Might some of the predictions of a “faked alien invasion” in order to achieve such global control – which finds particular fertile ground among the religious right, we should note – be the reason for such priming?

As outrageous as these suggestions are, especially for some people, they are suggestions that we should continue to ask ourselves about.

A Cautiously Credible Case

It is easy to see why the A70 Incident is not only one of the most intriguing UFO and alien abduction cases in Scotland, but surely one of the most interesting on record anywhere.

As well as the fact that such a veteran researcher and investigator in the form of Malcolm Robinson examined the case such a (relatively) short time after the incident, the detail eventually recalled is perhaps one of the most thorough and full of recent times. Not to mention that many of those same details can be found in multiple other accounts from different locations and times.

The use of hypnotic regression in the case, though, like in other incidents, is to some researchers a red flag for caution. Indeed, views differ as to the accuracy and legitimacy of the accounts relayed under hypnosis. And while that doesn’t make the case invalid or the witnesses not credible, it does force us to keep that pinch of salt that is so often required at the ready. At least for now.

The fact that the military had an obvious interest in the case is surely significant, though. And while this could have been nothing more than the actions of an individual who felt it appropriate to forward on the details, it is perhaps interesting that such a case that did land in the desk of MoD is one that contains those details, as we have highlighted above, that show up in other cases around the world. Is this the reason the case came to the MoD’s attention? And if so, that might indeed suggest credibility.

Our collective study and research of such cases in the public record will perhaps one day confirm that credibility.

Check out the video below. It looks at some of the best UFO sightings from Britain.