Bonnie Woods

Bonnie Woods is an American former Scientologist and critic of the Church of Scientology based in England. A former member of Scientology's Sea Org, she left in 1982 and later became known for supporting families affected by Scientology through a telephone helpline she ran with her husband. Woods was declared a "suppressive person" by the Church and became the subject of surveillance, picketing, and a leaflet campaign in her local community. She initiated libel proceedings against the Church, which in turn filed multiple suits against her. After six years of litigation (1993–1999), the case reached the High Court of Justice, where in 1999 the Church of Scientology admitted in open court that its allegations about her were false and paid damages and costs.

Overview

An American who moved to England, Woods had been a member of the Sea Organization but left Scientology in 1982. Private investigator Eugene Ingram persuaded a creditor of Richard Woods' failed building firm to accept free help from Scientologists to pursue her money.

The Church spread leaflets calling Woods a "hate campaigner" around her East Grinstead neighbourhood and on the High Street. Woods sued for libel, and in response the Church took out three libel suits against her. She told journalists that during the case she had been subjected to a "level of harassment that most people would find intolerable".