Scientologist must pay damages for ‘vitriolic’ personal attack

Zabrina Collins sent ‘distasteful’ email to school principal after talk by Peter Griffiths

Irish Times/April 25, 2016

By Ray Managh

A chiropractor was ordered by a judge on Monday to pay €5,000 damages for a “vitriolic and personalised” attack on the character of a Co Mayo man who opposes the beliefs and teachings of the Church of Scientology, of which she is a leading member.

Judge James O’Donohoe in the Circuit Civil Court said that allegations by Zabrina Collins against Peter Griffiths of criminal activity, hate-mongering and links to gay pornographic movies of teenage boys were grossly defamatory”.

He said an email from Ms Collins to a Dublin headmaster describing Griffiths as not being a fit person to engage with students was “particularly distasteful”, but had not gone far enough to brand him a paedophile either directly or by innuendo.

Judge O’Donohoe had heard that Collins had sent the email to the principal of St David’s CBS, Artane, Dublin, in May 2013 after she discovered a YouTube recording of a talk on “cults” given by Mr Griffiths to a class of teenage boys at the school.