Scientology in The United Kingdom - The Latey Judgement

The Latey Judgement

In 1984, a custody dispute between a practicing Scientologist father and an ex-Scientologist mother came to the High Court. Although the father had stated that he would not raise the ten-year-old boy and eight-year-old girl as Scientologists, Mr Justice Latey ruled that they should reside with the mother (this would not otherwise have been the case since it meant disrupting the status quo for the children) due to the prospect of Scientology's "baleful influence" on their upbringing.

The case reached conclusions about many aspects of Scientology:

• Evidence was given of how the Disconnection policy had broken up families and relationships.
• Mr Justice Latey read some of Scientology's internal documents into the record. These included Training Routine - Lying (TR-L), a "Guardian's Order" describing ways to investigate and smear "traitors", and other documents relating to the Fair Game policy. He concluded that despite the ostensible cancellation of Fair Game, "Deprival of property, injury by any means, trickery, suing, lying or destruction have been pursued throughout and to this day with the fullest possible vigour."
• Evidence had been given "of instances of mental breakdown" during auditing courses.
• The case produced evidence that a Rehabilitation Project Force (an internal punishment system involving physical labour) was in operation in Saint Hill.
• Latey ordered Scientology to stop harassing the mother and her partner.

Mr Justice Latey revealed his conclusions in a public hearing because of their significance.

"Scientology is both immoral and socially obnoxious. (...) In my judgement it is corrupt, sinister and dangerous. It is corrupt because it is based on lies and deceit and has as its real objective money and power for Mr Hubbard his wife and those close to him at the top. It is sinister because it indulges in infamous practices both to its adherents who do not toe the line unquestioningly and to those outside who criticise or oppose it. It is dangerous because it is out to capture people, especially children and impressionable young people, and indoctrinate and brainwash them so that they become the unquestioning captives and tools of the cult, withdrawn from ordinary thought, living and relationships with others."

A Church spokesman described the judgement as "a travesty of British justice," and alleged that there had been no opportunity for Scientology itself to submit evidence. Mr Justice Latey had observed that Scientology's lawyers had been in contact with the father and had had an opportunity to answer the allegations made in the case. The judgement was taken to the Court of Appeal the next year, where it was upheld.