Ex-cop accused of theft blames ghost

A former police officer accused of theft in the US stunned a court when he blamed a ghost in his basement.

Joseph Hughes, from Mount Gilead, Ohio, faced 21 charges against him, including stealing 12 air conditioning units, a 6,000 watt generator and a welder.

All are believed to have been taken from the Morrow County sheriff's office - one air conditioner was even labelled 'auditor' in thick black marker.

But after the stolen articles were found in Hughes's basement, he gave a paranormal defence for why he didn't know they were there.

"It's going to sound kind of ridiculous, but we believed that there was some kind of paranormal presence in the basement," Hughes said in court.

"It sounds kind of ridiculous but there was evidence to support it."

Tom Elkin of the Morrow County Prosecutor's Office, said Hughes' defence was "probably as odd as I've ever heard".

"I've been practicing since 1983 and I can say that's the first time I've heard of paranormal activity in the course of a trial," he said.

The court was not convinced and Hughes was found guilty.