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Cult pays £155,000 over hate campaign

Daily Mail, 9 June 1999

A cult which numbers Hollywood stars among its supporters was yesterday ordered to pay £155,000 to a former member who faced a six-year campaign of hate.

Born again Christian Bonnie Woods was targeted by the Church of Scientology when she left it to run a counselling service for victims of sects.

The church, whose followers include John Travolta, Tom Cruise and wife Nicole Kidman, admitted it had waged a dirty tricks campaign against Mrs Woods.

It apologised at the High Court in London for lies spread about her and agreed to pay £55,000 libel damages and estimated costs of £100,000.

American-born Mrs Woods, wearing a gold brooch spelling Jesus on her jacket lapel, hugged her husband Richard, 48, after the hearing.

'I am absolutely delighted with the result,' said Mrs Woods, a mother of two. 'It has been horrific. I had to learn to live with a level of harassment most people would find intolerable.'

Mrs Woods, 49, left the Church of Scientology in 1982 and moved to England three years later. With her husband she set up an organisation called Escape to help people leave cults, including the scientologists.

In June 1993, three members of the church distributed leaflets accusing her of trying to force people away from their chosen faith by brainwashing. They also accused her of visiting the scientology headquarters to wage a campaign of hatred and discrimination against religious groups.

They handed out leaflets with her photograph on it and the words 'Hate Campaigner Comes To Town' in her home town of East Grinstead, Sussex, and delivered others to the homes of her neighbours.

Her counsel, Michael Tugendhat, QC, told Mr Justice Eady that the defendants now accepted that the allegations in the leaflet were untrue.

The organisation's counsel, Mr Patrick Maloney, QC, said it regretted going 'too far' when responding to her accusations about the church.

Mr Woods, who helps his wife run their Christian ministry and helpline, said: 'Hopefully, this result will inspire and give confidence to others.'

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