Former Scientologist says church spent $2.5m just to harass him

A former member of the Church of Scientology has revealed that the organization spent an astonishing amount of money just to harass him.

Jon Atack used to be a member of the highly secretive organisation before managing to leave.

Since leaving, Atack has gone on to become an expert in authoritarian cults and author.

After his departure, Atack told LADBible TV how he had been the target of a sustained campaign of harassment by the Church of Scientology.

LADBible TV

This extended into every aspect of his life.

"I was harassed on a daily basis for 16 years after I left Scientology and spoke out," he said.

Atack explained that this was through a process called 'noisy investigation'.

This begins with compiling a list of everyone who knows you, including 'your doctor, your dentist, your travel agent, whoever, your friends, your family', Atack said.

He continued: "They'll then contact every person on the list, whether directly or on the phone, and say 'we're gathering information about Jon Atack or whoever and their criminal background, we found out some really interesting things already'."

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Atack said that this had happened to him and his mother-in-law, and his brother-in-law actually spoke to them.

The organization also spread malicious rumours about him.

He said: "It was put about that I was a recovered heroin addict, I've never taken heroin in my life, I was a rapist, I'd attempted murder, I'd molested children.

"These are standard stories that are told about critics of Scientology, they're made up."

The campaign of harassment included sending a private investigator from the US to the UK and Australia to track down people who knew him.

Atack later found out just how much they had spent just on him.

He said: "I was told when the head of their harassment division defected after a conversation with me, and she told me that they'd spent £2 million [around $2.5 million] harassing me up until that point."

It's a staggering amount of money, but it worked.

Atack told how his entire life upended as a result, saying: "It was incredibly destructive. It took me 17 years to recover my physical health.

"They sued me in America, they sued me here, and through legal costs I was bankrupted.

"My marriage fell apart, my health came apart. Took me about 17 years to get back to a place where I could stand up again."

UNILAD has reached out to the Church of Scientology for comment.