This is absolutely horrifying.
A former top female Scientologist, who worked with some of the Church’s biggest celebrities, including John Travolta, is opening up about the thee years — three years! — she was forced to endure Scientology “prison” all because she kissed another woman.
In an exclusive new interview with Daily Mail, 39-year-old Nora Crest (pictured) speaks candidly about the ordeal.
“It was the most horrific time of my life,” she says. “I was battered and bruised, pushed around and nearly died trying to leave the Church, and all because I had the audacity to desire another woman.”
Related: New Scientology Documentary ‘Going Clear’ Outs John Travolta. Again.
The cult’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard, believed homosexuality was an “illness” and ordered the Church to “cure” any homosexuals in their midst, which is exactly what officials tried doing to Crest.
“I was brainwashed into believing I’d done wrong and had to live in horrific conditions for three years before I was finally allowed to leave,” she recalls.
Crest says after she was caught kissing her female roommate, she was sent to secret concentration camp in a remote Southern California suburb where she was made to endure hard labor.
“It was the culture where every minute of every day, hundreds of people were watching you, judging you, making sure you didn’t step out of line,” she says. “We were sleeping in dorms where there were at least 33 women on bunk beds, three beds high … We had three meals a day, where you have 20 minutes to gather your food and eat it, and 30 minutes to do your hygiene.”
But it gets worse. Much worse.
Related: All The Crazy Bits About Tom Cruise From Leah Remini’s Scientology Tell-All
“The rooms had bugs and cockroaches,” Crest continues. “The bunks were dirty mattresses with rusty springs dating back to the ’50s. Disgusting conditions become the norm and you think that’s what you deserve and that you are what they say you are: a worthless piece of shit.”
“You get used to going to the toilet and five people watch you … You spoke only when you were spoken to. All outside communication was heavily vetted.”
Prisoners were forced to work as much as 80 hours per week and were rarely given breaks. Anyone who took too long completing a task or stepped out of line in any way was tortured.
“We would stand in an empty trash can while various people poured buckets of iced water over your head and were shouting at you about what crap you were,” she explains.
Food was closely monitored, as well.
“We’d be made to wait in line for the food to be distributed. There’d be around 250 people. When the doors opened, there was large stands of burger and fries and people would be diving at them, it was like a scene from Lord of the Flies, elbowing, punching each other, ripping hamburgers from one another, screaming in each others’ faces, then running off with the food to corners of the room like rabid animals and eating it quickly.”
Related: If You Call Tom Cruise Gay, Scientologists May Dig Through Your Trash
Crest says she begged to be freed, but officials refused. She tried escaping, but was caught and forced to return. She recalls that day in horrifying detail:
“I was trying to get to the door and got five feet from it, but they were grabbing all parts of me and dragging me down. At one point, I had 13 people on my body and was pinned to the floor. I couldn’t move … I was being kicked and punched, my face was covered in blood … I was screaming.”
She finally resorted to drinking a bottle of bleach in what she calls an act of “let me leave or die” desperation. She was sent to the hospital. When she was released, she says, “I was forced to sign a waiver that I wasn’t ever going to sue the Church, say bad things, never criticize it. I said it all to camera. I didn’t care, I just wanted to go home.”
Today, Crest lives with her husband, Cameron, and their two sons, Landon and Nick. She credits her family for helping overcome the trauma caused by her ordeal.
“I don’t think I would have coped without Cameron by my side,” she says. “I can safely say that marrying my husband and having children saved my life.”
“This can’t be allowed to happen to another person, hence why I’m speaking out.”
Laurence James
What the actual F#*k did I just read, someone please tell me this isn’t real.
Tony Chaplinski
wouldn’t you call that kidnapping? Isn’t that illegal,
Chris Duffy
And….you told the actual POLICE along with the Daily Mail…?? Right?
Antony Nguyen
This cant be real, why couldnt you just leave? If such a jail exists why has it not been raised to free these poor people? I am not sure what the hell i have read but punishment by the church is one thing, actual jailing or enslaving a person in beliefs crime is criminal
Mykel C. Johnson
Founded by Tom Cruise and John Travolta, no doubt.
Christopher DeRosa
Soooo it worked then? It ended with her marrying a man.
Rodney Hom
It’s still a crime that should be prosecuted.
Jeremy Adams
Scientology = brain washing cult created by a Sci Fi Author! Based on similar stories, I totally believe this could happen.
Brent Labee
when can i book a session.
Joseph Guhlin
Erm. Sue? Call the police? Give people the location? This is weird. It is a cult, but this seems unbelievable.
Signing something under force or duress means it is invalid, and if 1/10th these things were true any judge will throw that agreement out.
Billy Butler
No wonder tom cruise and John travolta are scared.
Kuato Lives
The mindf*&^ of Scientology makes a person believe that they deserved the treatment they got in the prisons known as the RPF or Rehabilitation Project Force. It is a lot like being in an abusive relationship. Yes, it’s illegal to beat your spouse but the battered spouse rarely reports it or brings charges if it’s found out.
Once a person escapes it takes a long time, years, for that conditioning to wear off. By that time many people just want to move on and not get involved with a long drawn out expensive lawsuit. Also many people have family and professional connections in the cult and they would be “disconnected” from, kind of shunning, if they ever protested their treatment. Scientology will also stalk and harass or “fair game” a person if they speak out.
However, brave victims have brought lawsuits against the cult for similar and worse treatment that Nora went through. Marc and Claire Headley for example. They lost because Scientology hides behind 1st Amendment protection and they have unlimited funds to fight court cases. Right now there is a court case pending involving a woman, Laura DeCreszenzo who was coerced into having an abortion when she was 17yrs old. She also drank bleach to escape the cult.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headley_v._Church_of_Scientology_International
http://tonyortega.org/2015/10/21/laura-decrescenzo-answers-scientology-religion-gambit-on-eve-of-key-hearing/
I would highly recommend watching the HBO documentary Going Clear. It’s the best primer on Scientology and helps explain how/why people endure so much abuse and sometimes abuse others too in the name of a belief system, in this case Scientology. Also tonyortega.org has daily updates and excellent reporting on everything Scientology.
Dave084
Scientology is a despicable cult but if all those people were being kidnapped and jailed illegally why is there not a shit-load of Tom Cruise and John Travolta wanna be’s in prison now.
Justin Weeks
The place should be burned to the ground the church to! Stupid people
Russ Cohen
Jonathan Lochrie
huckchuck
I am not a lawyer, but it sounds like the contract not to sue was coerced and can be nullified. I think she should sue for lots and lots of money. I can’t help but think there are LGBT activist lawyers who are willing to help her pro-bono, or work like the personal injury lawyers and get a cut of the backend so she doesn’t have to pay an hourly rate. Her treatment was despicable, and now that she is out she should help the others who endured what she had to.
lykeitiz
So this is where they keep John Travolta & Tom Cruise in between movies?
Billy Budd
Disgusting cult. Disgusting people.
Adam Griffith
So this is why Tom Cruise and John Travolta are in the closet.
Kevin J Desmond
That’s not a church … it’s a CULT !!!!
Michael Colwell
Close it down. It’s a cult. I spent 6 months in this disgusting cult. I got out….and yes Tom Cruise is gay…..
Jesse Erickson
I didn’t know this was a thing
Bruce Maynard-Holly
A church is not the law, holding ppl against their will is a against the law! Its another religionist cult like all the other one’s.
GC1985
Holding people against their will is false imprisonment and kidnapping. Crimes like these could carry punishments anywhere from several decades to life imprisonment. Scientology has been hit with major lawsuits and investigations. They aren’t untouchable as they seemed a few years ago. More are speaking out and lawsuits are following. I am confident this process of whistleblowing will eventually lead to its collapse and arrests will occur.
Joseph Smelser
You should have interviewed Tom Cruise for the 411 about these prisons.
Ben Stimpson
How is this cult even still allowed? Other countries have wisely banned them… the USA and Canada should literilly storm their headquarters, and shut them down
GC1985
Travolta… One of the biggest members and totally closeted even though everyone knows. That hypocrite needs to comes to his senses.
Billy Budd
Travolta is gay but he is reasonably sane. Tom Cruise is gay but he is totally insane. Certifiable, nuts, mad, lunatic, mental, derailed, etc.
Kevin Murray
Horrifying!!
José Aguilar-Mora
Was it actually an exclusively gay prison? Was she in the Sea Org? Sea Org members are sent to the RPF to deal with what the church calls “ethics”. The Rehabilitation Project Force(RPF) is where thr church sends its clergy (Sea Org) for a wide range of reasons(including being gay) if the church sees it necessary to discipline them.
ScottOnEarth
So, if this is true, then why are the authorities not shutting Scientology down? What is it with this pointless cult that allows them to constantly treat people like this and have no repercussions? Leah Remini’s booked described illegals child labor and other borderline-illegal conditions and practices, yet this cult is still humming along, being accountable to no one. WTF?
GC1985
@ScottOnEarth: Well… the authorities have their hands tied in this country, but people are pursuing legal action which is crippling the cult. In addition, there are some investigations that are ongoing.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/scientology/fbis-scientology-investigation-balancing-the-first-amendment-with-charges/1270036
It’s out of public eyes and confidential. They won’t confirm or deny the existence of such an investigation, but I have a feeling something is building up. They are trying to build a major human trafficking case. No such legal files exist on the investigation, so it means it’s all classified at this point.
Something is happening…
That source is from last year, but I suspect something might break this year that could strike at the core of scientology. This is the first FBI investigation in nearly 30 years (since the 1980s).
ScottOnEarth
@GC1985: Thanks for the info -good to know that something is (hopefully) being done.
GC1985
Correction: The investigation was in 2013. The issue the authorities have is one of the first amendment which Scientology will hide behind (freedom of religion). They need to build up an extremely strong case before conducting any sort of raid or arrest.
Villagevoice said the investigation stalled, but there are indications otherwise (specifically from the last few years).
Unfortunately authorities in this country do not have the freedom like they do in Germany.
Ralph Vendegna
This is a cult. Holding people against their will is a Felony Charge. Church of Scientology needs to be closed up. When people report what goes in the church if someone wants to leave etc, when approached and questioned they lie like a trooper.
David
You can’t sue?