A HYPNOTIST told to pay £6,500 to a woman who took part in one of his shows today spoke out for the first time and said: "My hell isn't over yet."

Philip Green, 49, of St Hubert's Road, Great Harwood, revealed that he is seeking to appeal against the High Court ruling.

Last Friday, the court awarded £6,500 to mother-of-seven Lynn Howarth, 40, who told judges that she had relived the trauma of childhood sex abuse after being "age regressed" by Mr Green, who operated under the stage name Phil Damon.

Mr Justice Leveson said the hypnotist "fell short of the standard of care he owed to her" -- but he told the court Mrs Howarth "will not receive a penny piece" after her legal costs bills.

Mrs Howarth earlier told the court how she suffered "18 months of sheer hell" after she was taken back to the age of eight -- a period when she was molested by a relative -- in the stage hypnosis act.

Now an appeal against the award is set to be launched, and Mr Green said if he was not eligible for Legal Aid, other hypnotists, including TV star Paul McKenna had offered to help.

Mr Green also had to contend with the death of his father, James, on the third day of the trial.

Mr Green said: "I will appeal against this decision because I feel it is unfair. People know what they are letting themselves in for when they are hypnotised.

"But it has already cost me a lot. I have been through seven years of hell. Hypnosis was my only source of income and it was something I was successful at. Now I am a labourer at the local abattoir.

"I have been through so much. Half way through the trial my father died. It has been horrendous." He added: "Everyone is shocked by this verdict. Even Paul McKenna has phoned."

During the week-long trial the court heard how what began as an evening of light-hearted entertainment -- organised by Mrs Howarth to raise funds for a youth club -- ended in a nightmarish reliving of childhood sex abuse which led to two suicide attempts. The show, which involved Mrs Howarth and friend Veronica Lomax, who was also on stage, being led to imagine the audience was naked and that one of their breasts had been stolen and could be found in a handbag.

She told the court that when she was asked to imagine being an eight-year-old creeping downstairs to watch a scary movie she was overwhelmed by the "emotions of that time," including ones when she had been sexually abused.

The court was told that Mrs Howarth was among the top five per cent most susceptible people in the country to hypnotism.

John Birchall, from the Federation of Ethical Stage Hypnotherapists, said they would support Mr Green's case: "Hopefully, he will get legal aid. If he doesn't, we will try and support him."