liddell claimed that the pickingill family had many links to the travelling romani population, and that pickingill spent many of his early years in a romani caravan. liddell claimed that pickingill faced persecution as a result, and that he "set out to terrify" the locals of canewdon in retaliation. according to liddell, pickingill was trained in romani magic, and thus in later life became "the most famous gypsy kako in england". liddell also claimed that pickingill despised christianity and wanted to see it overthrown; to this end he collaborated with satanists and included satanic elements within his ritual practices, something which horrified other members of the east anglian witch-cult. thus, according to liddell, pickingill was "england's most feared and vilified 'satanist'". elsewhere, he stressed that pickingill was not a satanist, but rather that he had been considered such by other witches because he practised sex magic.