A Wendover resident has spoken of his heartache after a close relative was brainwashed by a cult.
Chris Peeler, of Lionel Avenue, has given an account of the cult’s four-year hold on his relative George (not his real name) in a bid to prevent other families from falling victim to the recruitment tactics of certain cults.
So strong is the hold of the cult on George that Mr Peeler fears the organisation will eventually take all of George’s life savings and cause serious psychological damage.
On one occasion, he persuaded George to visit him at home, where he agreed to speak to an anti-cult expert who tried to reverse the brainwashing and persuade him to leave the cult. The effort failed and he returned to the cult, cutting himself off from Mr Peeler. He has not seen him now for two years and fears that many more families are experiencing the same torment and suffering in silence.
Mr Peeler said: “When a family member becomes a part of one of these cults, the effect can be quite devastating because of the changes in the personality and behaviour of someone, whom you have nurtured for many years and therefore know intimately and love dearly.”
Mr Peeler now hopes that by telling of his own ordeal he can help families and potential victims to recognise the dangers of mind control by certain organisations before it is too late.
He said: “Young people should be suspicious of groups or organisations that claim to have a monopoly of the truth or to have a ready answer to all the world’s problems. People are usually recruited into cults by cult members who have befriended them and may invite them to a meeting without initially revealing the true nature of the organisation involved.”
Mr Peeler is continuing to use the help of a cult expert in an effort to extricate George from the cult.
If anyone in the Aylesbury Vale area is concerned about cults, or has a friend or relative involved in a cult, Mr Peeler has urged them to contact him. His telephone number is 01296 624089. Alternatively contact The Bucks Herald news desk on 01296 619767.
On October 25, Mr Peeler will be attending a conference in London held by an anti-cult organisation and he is hoping it will lead to a Government investigation into the full extent of the problem and what can be done to prevent similar cases in the future.