A woman being sued for defamation by a NSW spiritual healer has stood by an extensive press kit she released about him which included sections on his "dark past" and on personality changes seen in his followers.
Esther Mary Rockett told a Sydney jury the kit - comprising about 40 pages - was sent to media organisations, MPs and others in 2013 and referred to legitimate issues which they had the resources to investigate.
The former acupuncturist was being cross-examined on Thursday in the Supreme Court by Serge Benhayon's barrister, Kieran Smark SC.
The former tennis coach and founder of Universal Medicine, near Lismore in northern NSW, says Ms Rockett's 2014 blog and later tweets portrayed him as delusional, dishonest, a sexual predator and the leader of a "socially harmful cult".
She is running the defences of truth and honest opinion.
Mr Kieran quoted her press kit which said Mr Benhayon's followers "are seen" to undergo personality changes including anxiety and paranoia.
After Ms Rockett testified she did not have any qualifications in psychiatry or psychology, Mr Kieran asked why she made the statement.
"I had spoken to at least 40 people about their family members and others were involved in Universal Medicine," she replied.
"Do you accept you did not have qualifications to enable you to identify those conditions?" he said.
"I didn't have those qualifications, no."
He asked about statements where she raised suspicions that Mr Benhayon had been involved in a crime connected with the death of a youth.
"I was raising that there was a suspicious death and that Serge had been in the area at the time," Ms Rockett said.
"Presumably hundreds of people had been in the area but you were singling out Serge," the barrister said.
"I knew some of the circumstances about the property and the circumstances at the time," she replied.
Noting the kit referred to "mind control techniques", Mr Kieran suggested she was stating as matter of fact that Mr Benhayon used hypnosis.
She replied this was "according to my analysis", an answer she gave a number of times when asked about statements in the kit.
Referring to a section headed Mr Benhayon's "dark past" which included references to underage sex, Ms Rockett said: "I was suggesting there are a lot of suspicious markers here."
"It is a press kit, not a press article," she said.
"Of course I take responsibility, but it is raising issues for investigation."
The hearing continues.
Australian Associated Press
