22 Facts About Shawn Lonsdale

Shawn Lonsdale was a videographer and critic of the Church of Scientology.

Shawn Lonsdale lived in Clearwater, Florida, and regularly videotaped members of Scientology coming and going from church activities in Clearwater.

Shawn Lonsdale got into an argument with a Scientologist at the City Council meeting, and the Scientologist followed him home and the next day Shawn Lonsdale observed a van waiting for two hours outside his home.

Shawn Lonsdale established a website, and filmed video footage of Scientologists going about activities in Clearwater, and aired edited footage on a local Public-access television cable TV station.

The Church of Scientology hired private investigators and discovered that Shawn Lonsdale had a criminal record, and this was publicized by a Scientologist on fliers and on a website.

In 2006, Shawn Lonsdale was subpoenaed by the Church of Scientology, which accused him of being affiliated with the Lisa McPherson Trust, a group critical of Scientology which was restricted in where it could protest in Clearwater.

In 2007, Shawn Lonsdale appeared on the BBC Panorama program Scientology and Me and was interviewed by journalist John Sweeney.

Shawn Lonsdale died suddenly on February 16,2008, and a Clearwater police spokeswoman stated that the death appeared to be suicide.

Shawn Lonsdale became interested in Scientology after getting into a fight with a Scientologist over redevelopment issues while at a City Council meeting.

Shawn Lonsdale taped hours of footage of Scientology staffers, security guards, and verbal confrontations with Scientologists, and edited clips into a pseudo-documentary which aired on local public-access television.

Shawn Lonsdale dropped fliers outside downtown businesses and picked through trash from a Scientology-owned business and posted documents online.

On July 8,2006, Shawn Lonsdale got into a physical altercation with a Scientologist while filming the Church of Scientology in Clearwater.

Shawn Lonsdale stated "Basically, I'm filming a pseudo-documentary for one of our free-access Pinellas web channels," and said that while filming a Scientologist came out of a coffee shop and yelled that Shawn Lonsdale was a religious bigot.

Shawn Lonsdale went right for my face and my head, backed me up into a pole to which I had no other choice but to defend myself.

The police did not charge Shawn Lonsdale, stating that he had the right to take photos and video in public places.

Shawn Lonsdale's employer and landlord received phone calls from Scientology representatives who claimed that he was a religious bigot and dangerous.

Shawn Lonsdale was subpoenaed by the Church of Scientology for a deposition in the fall of 2006, and the Church claimed that he belonged to an anti-Scientology group which had previously been barred from protesting in certain areas in downtown Clearwater, the Lisa McPherson Trust.

In May 2007, Shawn Lonsdale appeared on BBC's Panorama program in a piece titled "Scientology and Me", and was interviewed about his experiences as a critic of Scientology by journalist John Sweeney.

In 2007, Shawn Lonsdale let his Scientology critique website lapse, and posted less frequently on his blogs and anti-Scientology message boards and chat forums.

Former Scientologist Randy Payne told the St Petersburg Times that Shawn Lonsdale "found it impossible" to make a living while spending the majority of his time as a critic of Scientology.

Payne stated that in December 2007 Shawn Lonsdale had found steady work, and had planned to go back to school in order to get a private investigator's license.

Shawn Lonsdale had a hard life and a history he knew Scientology would use to hurt him.