The policy is one of many directives written by the Scientology founder that make up the ‘OSA Network Orders’ – OSA being the church’s ‘Office of Special Affairs’, the dirty tricks department responsible Scientology’s PR image and attacking the critics and former members it calls ‘Fair Game’. OSA’s goal is to preserve the Church of Scientology’s image – or what’s left of it it – and expand not just its reach, but its control over communities, neighbourhoods and societies. It does this through a tactic known as Safe Pointing and every church of Scientology on Earth has a designated ‘Director of Special Affairs’, whose job it is to buddy up with local dignitaries and opinion leaders for the purposes of dominating the field.

Hubbard explains in a 1982 policy letter titled ‘The Safe Point’ “You cannot operate without a base to operate from. You cannot deliver without somewhere to deliver it. You cannot sell what you cannot deliver. The optimum action is to send a PR area control team to the area you want to operate in, and have it establish PR area control first.”

“The most important action to undertake when going about making a safe point is to carefully and painstakingly find out who exactly are the top dogs in the area in financial and political circles, and their associates and connections, and to what each one is hostile. A handful of allies with impressive sounding titles and positions is not enough. Viability depends on having all areas and persons who could affect or influence the operation under PR control.”

So there is no question OSA’s goal isn’t to build relationships with these people for the good of the community or to support causes that matter to people in the area, but to bring them under Scientology’s control.. and that’s something that is often misunderstood about the church’s so-called ‘social betterment programs’. They are all PR activities that fall under the Office of Special Affairs and their game is one of influence and control.

And so it comes as no surprise that Scientology’s London Org have been hard at work building partnerships and allying themselves with genuine charities and community groups throughout the city. Scientology, it must be reminded, was rejected charity status in 1999 after the Charity Commission ruled “it does not benefit the public”.

In a post on social media recently, the Afghan British Foundation wrote “Human Rights Day hosted by the Church of Scientology London brought together over 60 community and religious leaders for speeches, a human rights briefing, and cultural performances. The Afghan British Foundation (ABF) was proud to participate, reaffirming our commitment to human rights, unity, and community engagement.”

On the face of it, a religious organisation is hosting a community event to celebrate World Human Rights Day – what could possibly be wrong with that? But that’s precisely why Scientology do it. Because to the untrained observer it appears harmless.. who would be so flagrant about promoting human rights when they themselves are guilty of some of the most egregious human rights violations known to man?

But the allegations of human rights abuse within Scientology are numerous, and they span decades. Danielle Chamberlin, for instance, who was locked in the chain locker of the Flagship Apollo by L. Ron Hubbard as a child and deprived of food and human contact as punishment… or executives such as Claire Headley and Amy Scobee who were ordered to do hard manual labour and interrogated for hours every day on the ‘Rehabilitation Project Force’ at the church’s compound in the Californian desert.. the same compound Valerie Haney had to escape from in the trunk of an outsider’s car after being held against her will. These are just a handful of examples and several lawsuits are underway over in the States that allege the Church of Scientology – and its reclusive leader David Miscavige – have been engaging in international human trafficking and harassment against former members for years.

But by celebrating World Human Rights Day, Scientology forwards its aim of bringing the field under it’s PR area control. If its representatives have built strong enough relationships with key figures throughout the industry, allegations the church itself have been engaging in human rights violations could be downplayed as ‘just the narrative of a few bitter apostates.’ It’s the perfect cover story and in keeping with Scientology’s faith and policy-bound technique of pulling the wool over people’s eyes.

During a podcast interview on the topic of Safe Pointing, Hollywood actress Leah Remini explained: “L. Ron Hubbard knew.. we’re not really doing this sh*t, so you gotta ally yourself with some real people, the real organisations, the real charitable organisations that are doing the work.”

Mike Rinder, who was once Scientology’s international spokesperson and head of the Office of Special Affairs – arguably the most credible person to speak on the subject – confirmed Scientology “is not the altruistic, humanitarian [group with the] objective of helping people in society… it is all with the end of Scientology gaining footholds and controlling people.”

A group called ‘Unity for All’, which is not a registered charity, does not have a website and appears to have started on Facebook less than a year ago, also recently promoted Scientology‘s safe-pointing activities in London. The for-profit company was incorporated in April 2025 and its first accounts are not due until later this year.

“It was a distinguished privilege for Lord Aasef Rafique Mughal to represent the vision of Unity for All during a landmark event at the Church of Scientology, London. This assembly, held on Wednesday, 11th February 2026, brought together prominent leaders to address the vital mission of “Building a Safer London” through a unified, multi-faith effort.”

Scratch the surface and concerning details begin to emerge.

We could find no record of Mughal being awarded a peerage, however he is listed as the sole director of Unity for All Limited and he is also featured on the list of directors for an Ilford-based company named ‘Buildings Maintenance and Construction Limited’. Documents filed with Companies House list him as Mr. Aasef Rafique Mughal and the company’s registered address appears to be a residential property.

The post continues, “the gathering at 146 Queen Victoria Street served as a cornerstone for community collaboration, emphasising that the strength of London lies in the solidarity of its diverse faith groups. Lord Aasef Rafique Mughal, as a Director of Unity for All, championed these key pillars during the assembly: Interfaith Solidarity in the Capital: The event highlighted London as a hub for interfaith harmony, where leaders from various backgrounds unite to foster peace.; Proactive Community Safety: Discussions focused on actionable strategies to enhance the safety and well-being of all Londoners, reflecting the spirit that “something can be done about it”; Collaborative Leadership: In partnership with the All Faiths Network, Lord Aasef Rafique Mughal emphasised that unity is not just a sentiment but a practical necessity for the city’s progress.”

There is no suggestion Mr. Mughal’s new ‘Unity for All’ organisation is a front for Scientology or even aware of the reason it has been called in to attend an event at their London Org… It’s an under-handed tactic and the church is never up front about its real intentions.

But per Hubbard policy, Safe Pointing is a mechanism crafted by the Office of Special Affairs in which the Church can control the narrative and assert influence over society.

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According to the inquiry’s website, the Legislative Assembly Legal and Social Issues Committee is “looking into cults and fringe groups in Victoria—how they recruit and control people—and will report back by 30 September 2026. This inquiry is not about judging anyone’s beliefs—it’s about protecting people from harm.” It continues “We want to understand whether current laws are strong enough to deal with groups that use manipulation or control in ways that can seriously hurt people.”

The inquiry ran a questionnaire and received over 300 responses from survivors of a variety of cults operating throughout Australia. 80% of submissions were from people sharing their own experiences and 15% were from close family members. The questionnaire revealed 38.2% of respondents were recruited into the group through a friend or family member and 22.1% were born or raised in.

94.9% of respondents reported psychological harm, 85.8% identified personal restrictions and 52.4% said they had been physically harmed while in their respective groups. The majority of those who took part in the survey reported indoctrination, fear of punishment if leaving, isolation from family and friends and emotional abuse as tactics used. Over half reported surveillance or monitoring and 71.9% said they had felt loss of personal freedoms.

Detailed submissions have been subsequently published by the inquiry, four of which are from ex-Scientologists. One statement says “We were taught to deny the self. We were taught that we didn’t have choices. And we did not understand that we had rights. We were primed for exploitation.”

“While being raised in Scientology, I was told that I was property of the organisation. I lived in overcrowded facilities and rarely experienced privacy. I had very little personal belongings. I was forced into child labour. I was denied an education beyond basic literacy. I signed a billion year contract at twelve years old. I was frequently stripped of anything that made me individual. I experienced severe psychological harms through Scientology interrogation and conditioning practices.”

Although the inquiry is looking at cults based in Australia, this may spell problems for Scientology here in the United Kingdom. Since 1977, Scientology has funnelled its UK operations through an Australian-registered entity called Church of Scientology Religious Education College, Inc. (COSRECI). The organisation was granted tax exemption by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission despite being listed as an overseas entity that does business exclusively in the United Kingdom. Contrastingly, Scientology was rejected by the UK Charity Commission in 1999 after it found the church “does not benefit the public.”

The corporate veil shields Scientology from scrutiny and government oversight, with UK authorities deferring responsibility to Australia and vice versa. However, all Scientology workers in the UK are employed by the ACNC-registered COSRECI, and as such Australia has a duty to investigate and take action against those abused by the church in the United Kingdom.

The inquiry so far has not made any attempts to engage survivors of abuse at the hands of the Australian-registered UK Church of Scientology. We emailed the Committee asking whether our voices could be included and received the following response:

“I acknowledge receipt of your correspondence and advise that it will be provided to the Committee for its consideration.”

When reporting concerns about the Church of Scientology’s fraudulent and abusive practices in the UK, the ACNC did not follow up or ask for evidence, telling us in 2023 “due to secrecy provisions in the ACNC legislation, we are unable to advise you of the action we take in response to your concern.”

Survivors wishing for their stories to be considered by the inquiry can submit statements via email to COFG@parliament.vic.gov.au

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The event is set to take place on Saturday 6th June and will provide survivors of abuse within Scientology a platform to share their stories. Cult expert and Honorary Research Fellow at South Bank University Dr. Alexandra Stein, PhD will also be speaking about the efforts of the Family Survival Trust to expand coercive control legislation to further support survivors of spiritual and ritual abuse.

The speakers announced so far include:

Dr. Alexandra Stein PhD, cult expert and Chair of the Family Survival Trust

Alexander Barnes-Ross, former Scientologist and activist

Danielle Chamberlin, who grew up at Saint Hill and served L. Ron Hubbard aboard the Flagship Apollo before being raped as a child by an older staff member.

Bonnie Woods, who won a landmark High Court legal battle after Scientology engaged in a defamatory propaganda campaign against her throughout East Grinstead.

Zoe Hancock, who recently shared her story of being recruited into Scientology as a teenager and groomed by one of the Jive Aces. She also spoke about being tasked with single-handedly flattening the field used as a car park at Saint Hill’s annual IAS event with a pickaxe.

Amir Essalhi, a former executive from the Church of Scientology in Edinburgh who left earlier this month and started speaking out after he was ordered to do hard manual labour as punishment for speaking to an ex-Scientologist.

Stephen Jones, a local resident and former staff member at Saint Hill and

Pete Griffiths, former Scientologist who headed up a Mission in Cumbria.

For those looking to attend the event in person, tickets are available here and cost £12.50. If you would like to pay it forward or contribute towards event running costs, you can donate here. If enough money is raised to film the talk, it will be recorded and broadcast on Youtube for those further afield.

The post Ex-Scientologists to host East Grinstead event first appeared on Scientology Business News - lawsuits, financial records and shell companies.

Those who have left high-control groups or cultic environments like Scientology already understand this process intimately. Coercive control is most often discussed in terms of abusive family or romantic relationships, but it is not limited to just that. It appears in cults, authoritarian organizations, extremist movements and even some institutional settings. Human trafficking of any kind, for example, is a coercive practice. Wherever one person or group seeks ongoing psychological domination over another, the same mechanisms tend to appear.

Understanding how this works is essential not only for personal recovery, but for preventing abuse and pushing for meaningful accountability. Coercive control is a sustained pattern of behavior designed to subjugate another person both psychologically and socially. Rather than relying on constant physical force, it restructures a person’s world until obedience feels necessary for survival.

Common tactics include isolation from friends, family, or outside perspectives; monitoring behavior, thoughts, or communications; controlling access to money, information, or resources; creating dependency through fear or obligation, rewriting events or denying reality (gaslighting) and enforcing rigid rules backed by punishment or humiliation.

Individually, these behaviors might seem minor but together, when repeated over time, they fundamentally reshape a person’s ability to think independently or act freely. The goal is control. Compliance is produced by managing fear, identity, and perceived consequences.

Coercive control works because human beings are social and psychological creatures. We rely on connection, meaning, identity, and security (these are among a list of things we could call emotional needs). When those needs are manipulated, people can be influenced far more deeply than through physical threats alone.

A controlled environment gradually narrows what feels possible. Choices that once seemed obvious become unthinkable. People begin regulating themselves to avoid punishment or loss of belonging. By the time the system is fully in place, the controller often doesn’t need to apply direct force. The person being controlled enforces the system internally.

This dynamic is extremely familiar to former Scientologists (or any cult member). Many describe policing their own thoughts, reporting on themselves or feeling fear at the mere idea of questioning authority. Cults cannot function without coercive control. The system is not incidental or a “side effect.” In any high-control group, coercive control is a structural element, just like the foundations of a house.

Authoritarian groups use psychological pressure to maintain loyalty, suppress dissent, and protect leadership from accountability. Members are often convinced that obedience is morally necessary, spiritually required, and/or essential for survival. Doubt becomes framed as personal failure. Over time, the group reshapes a person’s identity. The individual’s sense of self merges with the organization’s expectations. Leaving then feels like losing one’s purpose, community, or even one’s reality. This is why former members often describe the experience as ‘losing years of their lives’ or feeling like they must rebuild their identity from scratch.

Some legal systems have started to recognize the harm caused by coercive control. In the United Kingdom, for example, controlling or coercive behavior in an intimate or family relationship became a criminal offence under the Serious Crime Act 2015. The law recognizes that patterns of psychological manipulation can cause serious harm even without physical violence.

This recognition reflects an important shift: abuse can be psychological, structural and ongoing, not just physical. However, these legal protections largely address domestic relationships and comparable protections are limited or absent for survivors of cultic or organizational coercive control. That gap leaves many forms of systemic psychological abuse difficult to challenge. Because it’s so legally and morally challenging, many people just deny it happens or try to push it away.

For those concerned about abuses in groups such as the Church of Scientology and similar high-control environments, this raises an important question: if coercive control is recognized as harmful in one context, why not in others where the same methods are used?

One of the most damaging aspects of coercive control is its invisibility. There may be no single dramatic event, no clear moment of violation, and no obvious evidence to present to others. Instead, survivors describe a gradual erosion of autonomy: their world became smaller, their choices became restricted, their thinking became constrained. Their sense of self weakened. Because the process is cumulative, outsiders often fail to recognize the harm and survivors may struggle to articulate what happened; or may even blame themselves for their experience.

This difficulty in explaining the abuse is one reason coercive control continues to have such power. When harm lacks physical evidence or a simple narrative, it is harder for others to understand. The Church of Scientology reinforces this dynamic with internal systems that encourage members to believe that only the Church — and the Church’s version of reality — can give them purpose, stability, or a healthy life. Members are conditioned to see the Church as their source of meaning and identity, so leaving doesn’t just feel like losing a group… it feels like losing a foundation for happiness and self-worth. In that sense, people can remain tightly bound to the organization’s belief system even while feeling, because they have been taught to feel, that they have never had more freedom, purpose, or meaning in their lives.

For former cult members and survivors of controlling relationships, recovery involves more than leaving the environment. Through my work as a consultant helping people leave high-control groups, this is where I see people run into the most trouble after escaping. They think after they are out, there’s nothing more for them to do but “readjust” and “move on.” But I disagree. I believe recovery requires understanding how the system worked.

Recognizing the mechanisms of coercive control helps survivors rebuild independent decision-making, restore personal boundaries, understand past behavior without self-blame and identify red flags in future relationships or groups. It also reduces the likelihood of falling into another controlling environment. Without understanding the pattern, people remain vulnerable to similar tactics elsewhere.

Legal recognition, public understanding and survivor advocacy all shape how societies respond to coercive control. Laws do not appear spontaneously. They emerge because people speak out, document harm and demand accountability, especially former members and victims. The UK’s criminalization of coercive control in domestic relationships did not happen by accident. It followed years of research, consultation, and sustained advocacy from survivors and experts who insisted that psychological abuse be taken seriously.

Section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 created a criminal offence for controlling or coercive behaviour, closing a major gap in how abuse was recognized in law. But passing a law is only the beginning. How it is interpreted, enforced, and applied in real cases is an ongoing process. Progress can be slow and meaningful protection depends on continued pressure, awareness, and engagement. Unfortunately, anyone expecting easy remedies or quick solutions is likely to be disappointed. Yet the work must continue because those who exploit and manipulate others are not ever going to stop on their own. This world creates too many incentives for money, power, and influence from coercion for that to happen.

For those who have experienced coercive environments such as Scientology, the same principle applies. Greater awareness can lead to stronger protections, better support for survivors, and clearer recognition of institutional abuse.

People who have experienced coercive control possess firsthand knowledge of how these systems operate and understand these dynamics in ways that outside observers often do not. That experience is valuable and their insight can help protect others, inform public understanding and contribute to meaningful change. Educating others about coercive control, supporting fellow survivors, documenting abusive practices, encouraging research and public discussion and advocating for legal and institutional reform are ways they can contribute. Meaningful change rarely begins with institutions; it begins with individuals who recognize harm and refuse to accept it as normal.

Coercive control is unfortunately a very real and very difficult problem in our world today. Abusers and predators can create harm that lasts for years or even a lifetime. Understanding those mechanisms is the first step toward preventing abuse and strengthening accountability. For survivors, this knowledge provides language for what happened. For society, it offers a framework for recognizing and addressing institutional psychological harm.

If you want to take part in making meaningful change – whether through advocacy, education, or supporting others who are leaving coercive environments – there are ways to get involved. Organizations such as the Michael J. Rinder Aftermath Foundation provide practical assistance to people leaving Scientology including emergency aid, housing support and resources to help them rebuild their lives. If you want to do more, you can contact them, Alex, or me directly. Collective action has always driven change in this area and working together gives us far more influence than any of us have alone.

The post Chris Shelton: Understanding Coercive Control and Cults first appeared on Scientology Business News - lawsuits, financial records and shell companies.

Recent propaganda published by the church’s UK headquarters in East Grinstead, Sussex shows children holding signs stating “I’m joining the Sea Org!” – Scientology’s paramilitary order of workers who sign one billion year contracts dedicating their lives to working for the church.

Sea Org members are provided communal berthing, food and a weekly stipend of just £50 per week in return for a lifetime of service. According to former members, workers are required to work long hours, seven days a week with no time off and those underperforming are punished through Scientology’s harsh ‘Ethics’ system – including being put on hard manual labour.

Saint Hill have also been promoting a ‘World Tour’, with visits scheduled in cities ranging from Cambridge to Quebec. These events often comprise of Sea Org recruiters and salespeople speaking to Scientologists in the area to get them signed up for services or staff contracts.

A “guest speaker from Flag” has also been announced for an event at Saint Hill on 8th March. Flag is Scientology’s mega-complex in Clearwater, Florida.

And last week, it was announced a grand total of four Scientologists have started their OT levels at Saint Hill. These are the confidential levels on Scientology’s ‘Bridge to Total Freedom’ which cost thousands of pounds. For ‘the fastest growing religion on planet Earth’, we expected a bigger number than just 4…

And finally we have the latest Birthday Game standings, giving us an idea of how Orgs are doing around the world. According to Scientology lore, somebody once asked L. Ron Hubbard what he wanted for his birthday and he responded ‘expansion’.. and since then, churches around the world have competed in an annual game that concludes on the anniversary of his birthday – March 13th.

Points are awarded for gross income, well done auditing hours, book sales and other delivery statistics with the winners being crowned at an international event hosted by reclusive leader David Miscavige.

The post Scientology still recruiting kids into the Sea Org.. and other news from inside the bubble first appeared on Scientology Business News - lawsuits, financial records and shell companies.

Every October Scientology’s official membership body, the International Association of Scientologists (IAS) gathers for a lavish three-day extravaganza at the church’s UK headquarters in East Grinstead, Sussex. The event takes place in a mammoth marquee erected illegally – without planning permission – on the grounds of Saint Hill Manor, the Grade-II listed country estate founder L. Ron Hubbard once called home. Promoted by the church as “the greatest gathering of Scientologists on the planet”, the event consists of a three-hour speech by current leader David Miscavige, a charity concert and a black-tie ‘Patrons Ball’ where Scientology’s biggest donors are presented trophies and awards recognising the total value of their lifetime donations to the church.

The IAS has a tiered donation system and regularly publishes lists showing how much members have contributed in the pervious year. Donating $50,000 earns you the title ‘Patron’ with titles and trophies becoming more extravagant with each tier. The highest level announced so far belongs to Kennedy Center board member and Trump mega-donor Trish Duggan, who is listed in Scientology’s Impact Magazine as ‘Diamond Patron of Legend with Honours’, understood to represent a lifetime donation of at least $360 million.

Although the IAS promotes itself to Scientologists as the source of funding for the Church’s social betterment initiatives such as drug rehabilitation facility Narconon and anti-psychiatry group CCHR (Citizens Commission on Human Rights), an internal document shared with us last week revealed the primary goal of the IAS – at least for 2026 – was to make money. Of the 8 targets for this year, none related to helping those in need or forwarding legitimate charitable aims – rather, the IAS is aiming to double its number of paying members and encourage those already contributing to move on to making regular, monthly donations.

Now, another document sent to us by an inside source shows how staff members are expected to shift gears into fundraising mode for the annual IAS event – regardless of their job role within the Church. The document relates to the 2024 event and lists staff members at the Church of Scientology London, their normal job functions and assigned fundraising role for the three-day event.

Chris Shelton, who once served in Scientology’s management structure overseeing similar events, told us “Every event has a stated product. Typically we were all focused around whatever that product was, and it was almost always money-motivated because the product would be to sell it. Whether it was a new service, donations or ideal org donations. Very rarely were there recruitment events, but they would happen from time to time. So the bulk of the all-hands activities for Scientology orgs is 95% of the time going to be towards making money.”

“It’s funny how a few years ago they started trying to put out that they were not going to hard sell anymore and were not getting in people’s faces anymore, the sheer number of people they throw at this tells you very clearly what their priorities are.”

In Scientology, sales people are called “registrars” or “regges” and the document shows a range of staff members, including London Org’s Executive Director, taking on this role for the IAS event weekend. Only a handful of the 57 workers were left to keep the Org itself open with everybody else being sent down to Saint Hill for the event. Shelton explains, “It’s up to one or two people to man this org and that’s why it’s falling apart. And I say falling apart strictly from the numbers perspective. 57 staff for an ideal org in the middle of quite literally one of the busiest cities on the entire planet is so pathetic.”

Scientology claims to be the fastest growing religion on the planet, with millions of members worldwide and “hundreds of thousands” in the United Kingdom. When London opened as an ‘Ideal Org’ in 2006, church spokesperson Janet Laveau told the Evening Standard “we have 118,000 members in the UK, almost half of whom live in London”, which suggests either that number was significantly inflated or Scientology has seen rapid decline over the last 20 years.

So, with church representatives confirming the IAS event is not a religious worship ceremony, the IAS goals for 2026 being focused on driving revenue and the majority of London staff members put on money-making duties, the evidence seems to suggest Scientology’s primary goal for the event is to raise funds. But with little evidence the money is being spent on social betterment programs and staff members being paid just $50 per week despite working 100+ hour weeks, it begs the question… where is all the money going?

Scientology were denied charity status in 1999 with the UK Charity Commission ruling it “does not benefit the public.”

You can read the digitised version of the document below. We have removed staff members’ surnames out of respect for their privacy.

The post All hands on deck! Proof sales becomes everybody’s job at Scientology’s biggest event first appeared on Scientology Business News - lawsuits, financial records and shell companies.

Greenfields School is located a stone’s throw away from the Church of Scientology’s UK headquarters at Saint Hill near East Grinstead, Sussex and is the only school in the United Kingdom to employ L. Ron Hubbard’s ‘Study Technology’. Although it is technically independent of the Church’s corporate structure, it operates under the umbrella of Scientology front group the Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE) and is staffed predominantly by senior Scientologists.

Headteacher Andrew Hodgson, for instance, was recently featured in Scientology propaganda material where he described having a “wellspring of power” and feeling “unstoppable” after progressing to the next level on the ‘Bridge to Total Freedom’. The school’s board of trustees is also led by Scientology lawyer Peter Hodkin, who appeared at a Mid-Sussex District Council representing the Church earlier this month.

Now, Scientology Business can reveal photographs from inside the school sent in to us by a reader, and it’s just as creepy as you might expect.

In one room, the walls are decorated with posters depicting the history of the school and a visit made by celebrity Scientologist John Travolta in 1993. The historic photos (left) appear to have been edited to remove former teacher Mark Kent, who was jailed in 1994 for a string of sex offences after he was found to have molested at least six boys over a seven year period, including possessing video footage of boys at the school showering. During sentencing at Hove Crown Court, Judge John Gower told Mr. Kent “the boys and parents put their trust in you. You betrayed it for the gratification of your own perverted lust.”

The second poster, in phrasing that shows a striking similarity to North Korean propaganda material praising Kim Jong-Un, says “John Travolta has always been a great supporter of Applied Scholastics and schools using the Study Technology of L. Ron Hubbard. He was in Sussex for a day trip for various Public Relations commitments and had been invited to come to Greenfields School if he could.”

“Despite a very tight schedule, late in the afternoon he insisted on coming to visit the school, especially after being told byt he Deputy Head who met him that all the students, staff and trustees were waiting together in the hall on the chance that he could come – and they were all very excited to meet him! John was happy to have photos taken with the students and Founder Margaret Hodkin.”

“He spoke to the students about his experience with the Study Technology, and true to his reputation was extremely friendly and interested in the students; he wished them well for the future, and had to be pulled away to get to other engagements. He left a lasting impression on those who met him at the school.”

As a boarding school, Greenfields houses students in dormitories and the photos show children share bedrooms with a mixture of single and bunk beds throughout.

In one room, a small basket ball hoop is fixed to the wall which is adorned with creepy stickers, understood to have been placed there by children living at the school. One of the stickers features a pentagram and another reads “We are the weirdos mister.” Another says “witch” and one references ouija, a dark magic ritual used to summon demons and communicate with those who have died.

In another room, a number of books and DVD films are seen on the shelves. The movies we could make out are:

• Moulin Rouge
• Rebel Without a Cause
• The Lost Boys
• Hurt Locker
• Life is Beautiful
• Shaun of the Dead
• Little Woman
• Captain fantastic
• Pulp Fiction (which stars John Travolta, of course)
• Erin Brockovitch
• Bend it Like Beckham
• Flying Daggers
• Farewell
• Wadjda
• Little Miss Sunshine
• Attack/Block
• Mulholland Drive
• The Hate U Give
• Amy
• Memento
• Skyfall
• Submarine
• La La Land
• Slumdog Millionaire

A range of work schemes and study materials are also kept on the shelves, including Year 7 lesson plans and folders labelled ‘A Level Drama’ and ‘GCSE Film Studies’

A book was also found in one of the rooms referencing Bill Cipher, the main villain in the cartoon series Gravity Falls. The character is trillions of years old and grew bored of living in the “Second Dimension” and so destroyed his entire home world, killing everyone he had ever known – including his parents.

The story shares eery similarities with Scientology’s teaching that 76 million years ago a galactic warlord named ‘Xenu’ rounded up spiritual beings from across the galaxy, transported them to the prison planet known as Earth and blew them up in volcanoes with hydrogen bombs – the reason we humans today suffer from conditions like anxiety, depression and trauma.

The majority of Scientologists do not know the Xenu story, as it is only revealed after they reach ‘Operating Thetan Level 3’, which takes hundreds of hours of indoctrination at a cost of several hundred thousand pounds. However, it is widely accepted within the Church’s membership that L. Ron Hubbard explored the topic of ‘space opera’, and references it in non-confidential materials that are widely available to those who haven’t reached OT3.

The book was found on a sofa next to a pack of toilet roll and materials used for painting and decorating.

Greenfields School recently lost its ability to sponsor student visas after an inspection by the Home Office. At the time, Hodgson wrote to parents “I regret to inform you that our ability to sponsor students has been withdrawn by UK Visas and Immigration. This means that we will no longer be able to sponsor students from overseas. Current sponsorship will end on July 31st 2024.”

A subsequent inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate flagged several serious safeguarding concerns, which were later addressed. The school passed a second inspection last year with Hodgson issuing a statement that said “I am very pleased to be sharing the most recent report on Greenfields School from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI). The report states that the school meets all the standards that were considered during the inspection.”

A spokesperson for East Sussex County Council told Scientology Business  “Following the report from the ISI,  the Local Authority followed up these concerns with the school and were satisfied that all appropriate actions were being taken to address the safeguarding concerns.  The ISI confirmed this view in their follow up visit in December 2024.

“As with all educational establishments, the school is responsible for reducing any risks with regards to preventing and responding to extremism and radicalisation. The Local Authority’s training offer and guidance documents support schools in fulfilling these duties.”

The post PHOTOS! Occult stickers, weird books and John Travolta posters: Inside creepy Scientology school first appeared on Scientology Business News - lawsuits, financial records and shell companies.

According to our inside source, executives from Scientology churches across the world were invited to a special conference during the annual IAS event that took place in East Grinstead, Sussex back in October. There, they were briefed on the targets for the following year, which include doubling the number of paying members and increasing those contributing with monthly donations.

New Scientologists are offered a free six month membership which gives them a small discount on courses and auditing at Churches of Scientology but after it expires, parishioners are asked to buy an annual or a lifetime membership. Our source tells us the annual membership currently costs $500 or a lifetime subscription can be purchased for a one-off donation of $5,000.

The document lists key goals for the IAS to achieve in 2026. Here they are:

• Double the IAS membership sign-ups in every Org and Mission
• Post a Membership Officer in every Org
• Double the number of IAS Field Disseminators
• Double the number of members on the Honor Roll and Senior Honor Roll
• Brief the staff and public of the Orgs in our zones on IAS accomplishments, news and activities and progress on these goals
• Promote the Monthly Supporter program, and double the number of IAS members signing up for it
• Include all new Scientologists in the group by swelling the ranks of Free 6-Month members, and then moving them up to Annual and Lifetime
• Double the number of members in our zones who move up the IAS Honor Status levels this year.

The Honor Roll is a list of Scientology’s largest donors – known as whales – and is published regularly in the IAS members ‘Impact’ magazine. Those featured are awarded titles, certificates and trophies tied to the total amount they have donated over their lifetime. The lowest tier is ‘Patron’, awarded to those who have contributed $50,000 to the IAS and the highest honour is listed as ‘Diamond Patron of Legend With Honors’, a title held only by Kennedy Foundation President Trish Duggan who is understood to have donated in excess of $360 million over her lifetime.

Impact Magazine describes the Honor Roll as “a list of IAS members who have recently moved up the IAS Honor Status levels and in so doing are forwarding the largest Third and Fourth Dynamic salvage effort ever undertaken. Through their dedication and support, the IAS continues to make major strides toward accomplishing its goals – achieving the Aims of Scientology”

The Senior Honor Roll is a separate list containing not only those who have donated vast sums of wealth to the organisation, but also played a role in securing donations from others. Impact magazine says “The Senior Honor Roll acknowledges members who have greatly helped to achieve the purpose of the IAS by increasing the number of those on the IAS membership and Honor Status Rolls.”

The most recent honor roll, according to an Impact Magazine published in late 2025, featured 300 names. There were 178 people listed on the Honor Roll shared after the IAS event in October. This represents a growing decline in recent years – in 2024, the Honor Roll featured 462 names and there were 380 people listed in 2023.

Doubling the number of names on the Honor Roll this year means Scientology leader David Miscavige is hoping to bring in a minimum of $8.9 million in additional donations this year – as the lowest tier that features on the list requires a donation of at least least $50,000.

In addition to annual and lifetime memberships, Miscavige recently introduced a monthly payment option, with members able to commit a regular portion of their income to the IAS. This is a relatively new option for Scientologists, and the leaked document confirms they are now expected to contribute a monthly amount on top of their membership dues. Scientologists are also asked to donate towards the ‘Ideal Org’ program and pay for services – both of which are separate to their financial contributions to the IAS. However, an IAS membership is mandatory for those hoping to study the confidential OT materials or own an E-Meter.

The current version of the E-Meter has a self-bricking function whereby it stops working if it is not linked up to a computer every six months to verify the owner’s IAS membership is still valid.

Meanwhile, the future of the annual IAS gathering itself remains uncertain. The event takes place in a mammoth marquee erected annually on the grounds of Saint Hill Manor without planning permission – and an application for formal consent is struggling to win over local authorities.

Either way, it is clear under the leadership of David Miscavige, Scientology’s focus has shifted from delivery of services to paying members – despite founder L. Ron Hubbard writing such a financial model would be untenable for the church.

The post EXCLUSIVE: Scientology pushing for monthly IAS donations, 2026 targets revealed first appeared on Scientology Business News - lawsuits, financial records and shell companies.

Speaking on his podcast On The Mend, Willis describes how he was approached by a recruiter outside a Scientology property in London and invited to do a stress test. He was subsequently sold a course, which he completed before it was suggested his wife – TV presenter Emma Willis – was a Suppressive Person. Rather than break up his marriage, he decided to leave and explains “since then I’ve found out lots of crazy stuff about that place that I’m really glad that I got out when I did.”

Here’s the transcript:

I didn’t want to be a drug addict anymore. I wanted to have recovery. But I was bouncing in and out. I wasn’t doing what I was told. I was trying to rebel, trying to do things my own way by my own will. And I couldn’t do it. And I was falling down again, again, again. And I was I was quite off my head one day. And I was in central London and I was walking down the street and some guy in a suit came up to me and went, “Are you okay?” And I was like, “No, how do you know?” You know, he’s like, “Come with me.” And I was like, “All right.” 

[He] basically took me into this shop. I was like, “What’s going on here?” He took me downstairs and like we went into this room and basically I held these two metal rods and he told me asked me loads of questions and there was a little kind of like meter going be like with electricity from my body or something. I don’t know. And I was off my head right and I was like what’s going on? He was asking me questions. I was like yeah that’s right. I do feel like that. I do feel like this. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I said it’s so crazy.

I didn’t know what was going on, right? And he said, “Right, okay. Tomorrow, come to this address.” I was like, “Absolutely.” He’s like, “We’ve got answers for you. We know what’s wrong with you.” And he was asking me questions and I was agreeing with what he said and they were making sense to me. And I was like, “Yeah, I do feel like that. I do feel lost. I do need something.”

At the time, I was lost. I was trying to find anything I could to to to hold on to to make my life make sense, to make me make sense in the world. I couldn’t I I couldn’t work out how I was supposed to live a normal life without drink and drugs. It just like everything about my life revolved around drink and drugs. And I’d removed that from me, but I hadn’t healed any of that stuff. And I was looking for something. I was actively searching.

And so the next day I rocked up at this big building. And on the top of it, it said Church of Scientology. I was like, “What’s this?” No, I’m pretty sure Tom Cruise has got something to do with this place. And like, he seems to be doing well. Cool. Great. So I walked in there, right? And I didn’t know anything about it.

Interviewer: Had you been religious ever before?

Matt Willis: No. When I was a kid, my Mum went to church, I went to Sunday school for a little while to get into a better school where we grew up because the best school was a Catholic school. So I had to go to Sunday school for a little while in preparation to go to school. But I never really believed. I was never really religious person. And in rehab, they talked about a higher power all the time. You know, you need to find a higher power. You need to pray to something. You need to be something greater than yourself can remove this from you. I didn’t have that. And I was always battling with that.

So I was like, “All right, okay. Maybe this is the answer. And so I walked into this this building which had the Church of Scientology on the top. And I went into this room and basically it was like study. But I sat in this room on my own with another geezer and we worked through.. I bought a course which was a certain amount of money and I finished that course which was like a few days.. and at the end of it, it said you need to do another course to find out the answer to your and I was like okay cool.

So I bought the other course, got the books, bought loads of other big massive books which I never read. And I’m like tell me the answers. What’s wrong with me? What’s going on? So then I got through this other course and everything was pointing to some kind of like negative influence in my life that was draining me.. like, some person. And I was asking questions, who is that? They’re like, only you know that. I was like, I don’t know what you’re talking about, man. The problem is me. Like really, I’m making all these problems happen.

It was a really weird thing. Slowly but surely, I was like, I think you’re talking about my wife. They were like, “It’s probably the closest person to you.” And part of me thinks now when I’m looking at it that they just wanted me… they didn’t want me to have any kind of outside connections. They wanted me to just be connected to this. And so it took me about maybe two weeks to go, “No, mate. This is bollocks. So I never got any answers. Did all the paid-for these things, did all the courses, got nothing.

Matt Willis on his time in Scientology (Podcast: On The Mend)

Willis then goes on to explain how during his vulnerable moments, he was seeking a connection to a higher power. Struggling with addiction, he was looking for hope and answers.. but soon realised Scientology wasn’t for him.

What I slowly found out was that it wasn’t in there. And actually then I just had to remove myself from that organisation. Since then I found out lots of crazy stuff about that place that I’m really glad that I got out when I did. But some people I’m sure it benefits them, right? It’s like each to your own. Do what you want with your life, you know. As long as you’re not hurting people, you do you, babe. But for me, that wasn’t my trajectory. 

Matt Willis on his time in Scientology (Podcast: On The Mend)

Scientology uses a complex system of deceit and manipulation to exploit people’s vulnerabilities in order to sell their ideology to new recruits. In one policy letter, founder L. Ron Hubbard describes how a sales person has to invade somebody’s privacy in order to sell them Dianetics.

Matt Willis is the first major UK celebrity to publicly depart Scientology in recent years, and although his stint in the group was brief, it signifies a growing concern among the British public of the organisation’s harmful practices. Scientology were rejected charity status by the Charity Commission in 1999 after it ruled “it does not benefit the public”, and residents local to their UK headquarters in East Grinstead, Sussex have been taking to social media to complain about the “chaos” and “disruption” their annual IAS event brings to the town.

According to their hit 2003 song, Busted went to the year 3,000.. but they clearly didn’t find Xenu – or Target 2 there for that matter.

You can watch the full podcast episode below:

The post Busted star Matt Willis opens up about being recruited into Scientology first appeared on Scientology Business News - lawsuits, financial records and shell companies.

At the age of 14 Zoe left home in Sunderland and made her way to Saint Hill, destined for what she thought would be a life of service: helping to ‘Clear’ the planet and make a difference in the world. But within days she was ordered to shovel clay from a lakebed and single-handedly flatten a 5 acre field with a pickaxe so that it could be used as a car park for the forthcoming gathering of Scientology’s membership body, the IAS (International Association of Scientologists).

Hard manual labour, she was told, forms part of the ‘Estates Project Force’ (EPF) – a boot camp all new recruits must pass before joining the ranks of the church’s elite Sea Organisation. She’d signed a one billion year contract dedicating not just this life, but all future lives to working for the Church and the two-month program was almost like a rite of passage. “If I could just get through this, it’ll all be okay” she told herself.

12 weeks later she graduated the EPF and was given the job of recruiting new people into the Sea Org… but was quickly transferred to become the Director of Communications for Saint Hill’s evening and weekend shift known as ‘Foundation’. But the workload and pressure from other executives meant she rarely had a morning off. “Whether we had chance to get breakfast before we left [our accommodation] was touch and go. But even if we did get breakfast, it would be raw oats with cold milk.” She says. “We were lucky if there might have been some sugar left over.”

The Sea Organisation is a para-military group of committed Scientologists the Church describes as a “religious order.” In return for a life time of service, they are provided communal berthing, food and a weekly stipend of just £50. But according to Zoe, although food was provided it was often subpar. “We would eat chickpeas and rice because there was no money for food, so it was basic rations. We were being sustained on chickpeas and rice and raw porridge oats if we had time in the morning to eat them.” She explains. “It was probably around 9 hours a day on hard manual labour and 4 hours a day on course – with very short meal breaks.”

But perhaps most harrowing of all, at the age of 14 Zoe found herself in a relationship with a 30-year old man. “Children aren’t children” in Scientology, she tells us. “They’re an adult stuck in a small body” and “that’s not something I was aware of before I joined the Sea Org.”

According to Scientology scripture, we are immortal spiritual beings known as ‘thetans’ and have lived millions of lives prior to this one – and are destined to live millions more. This means that although you may be in a child’s body, you have the same life experience as any grown adult – and in Scientology, you’re treated as such. “If you complain as a 14 year old that you are tired, you’re told to stop being ‘effect’. Get on with it. You’re billions of years old, what’s your problem?”

“There’s nothing that you can equate to it outside of Scientology. I wasn’t a 14 year old, I was the same as the 30 year old man I was speaking to.”

And it is due to that belief that a relationship was permitted with a member of Scientology band The Jive Aces despite a 15-year age difference. The Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalists are all members of the Sea Org and by traveling across the world to perform upbeat jive and swing shows, they are seen as a PR front: an opportunity to disseminate L. Ron Hubbard’s teachings by promoting Scientology-sponsored social betterment programs like The Truth About Drugs or United for Human Rights.

“He is in a public facing role within Scientology, I was 14 and he was around 30 years old – double my age. We were openly in a relationship despite the massive age difference and power imbalance. It wasn’t even questioned,” Zoe tells us.

“I started looking at um Scientology stuff online and realised that there are people now who have stepped out from that shadow of fear that we have all lived with for so long. You just don’t talk about what goes on within Scientology because hey will come after you and they will be relentless and you will suffer.”

When Zoe reported her abuse to the Police, she was told she’d struggle to seek justice. “Under current laws, it would be classed as grooming. But we’re going back to a time when modern slavery and grooming weren’t legislated,” she says.

But then she found a community of ex-Scientologists speaking out. “So many of their stories ring true for me in my experience. And if we want change to happen, we have to all bring our stories forward because if we don’t, then nothing changes.”

You can watch her interview in full, below:

The post “I was 14.. he was 30” Jive Aces implicated as Scientology UK abuse scandal continues first appeared on Scientology Business News - lawsuits, financial records and shell companies.