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Scientologist youths told to leave the country

Title: Scientologist youths told to leave the country
Date: Thursday, 11 July 1968
Publisher: East Grinstead Observer
Main source: link (84 KiB)

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TWO long-haired Swedish youths who for the past month had been studying at Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead, the headquarters of the Scientology Foundation, appeared before a special East Grinstead Court on Wednesday last week.

Mats Bengtson (18) and Yngue Mokvist (22), both of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to being unlawfully in the U.K. contrary to the Aliens Order of 1953.

They were granted an absolute discharge and bound over in the sum of £5 each, on their own recognisance, to leave the United Kingdom forthwith.

Detective Chief Inspector Robert Marshall said that Bengtson and Mokvist arrived in this country on April 29 this year on the condition that they stayed no longer than one month.

They came to East Grinstead, he said, where they studied at the College of Scientology and through the college applied for an extension of stay. Their application was being considered by the Home Office, when on June 24th they were seen by police officers camping on private ground and taken to East Grinstead Police Station to establish their identity.

Chief Inspector Marshall said that he had personally told them at that time that they had to leave the country by June 29.

However, they were arrested after being seen by a police officer in the vicinity of Saint Hill on July 2 — three days after they were due to return to Sweden.

Bengtson, who when arrested had £44 in his possession, said that he wanted to leave the country, 'but the scientologists did not give me my passport until 9 p.m. on June 29. I could not leave the country because I was waiting for money from home.'

Mokvist said that when he came to England he had £40 and that he intended staying for about two and a half years. He had intended to borrow about 5,000 dollars from an American girl to help him stay in this country.