Salt Path scandal: Everything we learned from new documentary

When? reviewer released its investigation in salt path, It shocked book lovers around the world. according to original reporting By journalist Chloé Hadjimatheou, it appeared that author Raynor Winn had lied about – or omitted – several serious aspects of her life story.

salt path, Released as a book in 2018 and as a film in 2024 starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, it tells the story of how Raynor and her husband Moth lose their home after a friend makes a bad investment of money. It reflects his homelessness and long-term condition that miraculously alleviated the symptoms of Moth’s rare, terminal neurological disease (corticobasal degeneration or CBD). But investigation put a question mark on this entire story. It was alleged that Raynor had stolen large amounts of money from her workplace, had gone into hiding, had lost her home after borrowing approximately £100,000 from a family member, and had land in France where she and her husband could live.

Interviewed by experts on CBD reviewer Raynor’s various memoirs were highly cynical about Moth’s many miraculous recoveries, as well as the idea that he could have lived so long with a terminal illness.

Raynor has strongly denied the allegations against him and said they are “highly misleading”.

“Salt Path “It exposes the physical and spiritual journey that Moth and I shared, an experience that completely changed us and changed the course of our lives,” she said. “This is the true story of our journey.”

Raynor also called the investigation “grossly inappropriate” and shared photos of redacted clinic letters addressed to her husband, which revealed he was “treated for CBD/s.” [corticobasal syndrome] And have been for many years”.

Now, Sky has it Issued a documentary, salt path scandalwhich not only retells the saga in vivid detail but also poses new questions about Raynor’s alleged myriad half truthHere’s everything the film tells us,

Independent Representatives for Raynor have been contacted for further comment.

The exposure of this scam started with a tip-off from a stranger.

“My first instinct is not to trust [a tip-off]” Journalist Hadjimatheou says, as she sits in front of an email she received. In the email, the sender writes that the couple had fabricated important information about their story, including the fact that their real names were Sally and Tim Walker, and named the village in Wales where they lost their home. None of that information was public. “From journalism, my instinct is that if your real name isn’t in there, what are you hiding? That was the first thing that made me think maybe there was something to it,” Hadjimatheou added. On the screen, we see the email, which says: “If you keep digging… it’s going to get deeper and deeper than we ever imagined.”

People featured in the book come forward to dispute the events for the first time

A man named Warren Evans read Hadjimattheu’s article and contacted wanting to talk. In the book, he is called “Grant” and is depicted as a superficial, wealthy man who only appears to offer sanctuary (and a portion of lasagna) to the couple because he believes the Moth to be the poet Simon Armitage. Evans says of this, “What a load of crap.” In the book, when the couple arrive at Grant’s house, Moth is greeted by three beautiful women who surround him, offering him a massage – but this never happens. “He never got a massage,” says Evans. “Certainly the person caring for our autistic son was not going to go and wash someone else’s feet. No way.”

Hadjimattheu also visits a healing lady from Glastonbury, who remembers that Raynor and Moth attended one of her sessions, although she says that the author lied about his marijuana use and that Moth did not seem as described in the book.

Looks like Raynor Winn has a sense of victimhood

“She has a really divisive ‘us and them’ mentality, in which she and Moth are really the only victims in the book,” says Hadjimatheou after meeting some of the real people behind the book’s characters. “And it’s not just with Grant, it’s with many of the characters she meets on Salt Path but of course the readers didn’t know anything about it, and they really opened their hearts to Raynor and Moth and felt very sorry for them.”

The couple’s neighbor in Cornwall discovered the scam before The Observer revealed it

Between 2019 and 2022, the couple lived on a farm in Cornwall where Raynor wrote his third memoir, landlineUnfortunately, they were under the casual surveillance of neighbor and fellow writer Ruth Saberton, Saberton found Moth to be exceptionally full of life and vibrant, so she was shocked when she read Landline. Saberton says, “The more I read it, the worse I felt… I felt bad for not realizing what was going on. But I was confused because it wasn’t what I saw.” “He seemed fine. I have cognitive dissonance between what I’m reading and what I’m seeing.” So he read back all of Raynor’s books and made copious notes about what made sense and what didn’t. Suddenly, with a “critical” eye, he realized that the truth had been flashing in everyone’s face the whole time: it was clearly a work of fiction.

Even if the publishing industry is to blame for this scandal, this is unlikely to change

Hadjimatheu asks why Raynor was allowed to sell his dirty story. While no one at Penguin wants to talk to the reporter, she tracks down Amelia Fairney, who had a two-decade career as a publisher and now works for a disinformation charity. Fairney says there is no formal fact-checking process for memoirs, but Raynor may have signed something in his author contract confirming that everything he wrote is true. after salt path Having achieved bestseller status, Fairney says it would be difficult for a “lone voice” at Penguin to raise concerns about potential inaccuracies in the book, given the pressure to produce a follow-up.

Of the legacy of the scandal, she says, “People trust books… and I think it would be a huge shame to jeopardize that.” However, she makes the disappointing point that although the publishing industry needs to look in the mirror, there is little incentive to do so: Scam Sent salt path Return to top of chart. “I helped,” admits Hadjimattheu.

A horrifying confession letter from Raynor Winn has surfaced

A member of Raynor’s family comes forward with a confession letter apparently written by the author, admitting to stealing money from several people in his and Moth’s families and forging bank statements. The letter reads, “Please look no further for money. I’ve taken it. All of it.”

“It’s finally happening, someone knows!” Moth’s niece, Cecile, tells of the moment she saw the original investigation online.

If you’re a person with a dubious past, why would you write a memoir?

After uncovering all this information, Hadjimattheu still doesn’t understand why Raynor has done what he did. “Raynor Winn suddenly seemed like a very different person. She took the real aspects of her story and presented them in a very different light,” says Hadjimattheu. “Maybe we all do that to some degree, but when you promote a memoir with all sincerity, and you’re ready to go on the couch a show And let’s say that’s true, then I think there’s a public interest in telling the reality to be very, very different. Why didn’t she live quietly with her husband in France and live a nice, normal life after escaping relatively unscathed from her many alleged thefts? This is the true secret here.

Raynor has denied the allegations made in the documentary, stating on his website: “Tortoise Media observer And the documentary makers have continued to spread a false story about my life, even though I addressed them in my first statement.

“Like most people’s lives, there will always be someone willing to criticize you, it’s part of life. However, it is a great source of sadness that Tortoise Media observer And the documentary makers are now trying to create a rift between our family members. Families have always been able to share their concerns privately, and they still can.

“I did not steal from the family, as others can confirm. Nor have I confessed to doing so, nor did I write letters suggesting I did. Moth was diagnosed with CBD, now known as CBS, which is an atypical parkinsonism – that’s a fact. We were homeless and we lost our home because of a financial dispute with a lifelong friend, as described in the book.

“To everyone who has read and loved my books, thank you. Nothing has changed.” salt path I still have true memories of that time when we lost our home and found hope on the coast path.

“Except in limited cases where names of people or details of places and events were changed to protect privacy, as stated on the front of each copy.

“Thank you to the thousands of people who have written offering love and support, it means a lot to us.”

‘The Salt Path Scandal’ is on Monday 15 December at 9pm on Sky Documentaries