[3] Waugh further claimed that his business contacts included figures such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett,[1] and to have had a close relationship with Steven Covey, author of the The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
[1] These members attended lengthy video conference calls which could last for hours in order to listen to Waugh and others speak.
[14] A search of the public records showed that County Court Judegments had issued against nine then-members of the group, with the total debt owed amounting to around £87,000.
[16] One victim of the group stated that, when she attempted to ask questions about where her money had gone or what progress she was making, Waugh verbally berated her.
She was reminded by the group that, should she leave, they had records of her private conversations in which she had discussed personal information, including the fact that as a child she had been sexually abused by someone known to her family.
After leaving the group and giving an interview to the press about her experience, Waugh published this information in a YouTube video.
[19] Lighthouse also targeted others who had not been part of the group in a similar manner, contacting employers and reporting critics to the police.
[2] In relation to other allegations from former members, Waugh stated that 'if they had any legitimate case for a refund or if we had behaved illegally or unlawfully ourselves, then there are very clear formal civil and criminal channels for them to pursue.
[20] On 31 October 2022 the group filed a complaint with the Independent Press Standards Organisation in relation to the Daily Mail article.
[28] Although Lighthouse claimed to be doing 'pioneering research' the investigators were unable to determine what the group did, and could only identify that it moved large amounts of money to Paul Waugh.
[1] The court heard that between March 2018 and July 2022 Lighthouse International had paid about half of the company's income – around £1.2 million – to Paul Waugh.