The sinister British cult that lured in its victims with the promise of ‘life coaching’ and fleeced members out of millions of pounds – as disgraced head honcho goes on the run
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It’s been three years since British cult Lighthouse was brought down over allegations of exploitation and fraud after fleecing over £2 million from its trusting members.
Lighthouse, also known as Lighthouse International Group, was founded in 2012 and paraded itself as a mentoring scheme before the Mail exposed its cult-like practices.
It sparked a BBC podcast and leader Paul Waugh, now 57, was exposed by MailOnline for abusing and threatening its trusting middle class devotees, and ruining member’s lives.
Using platforms like LinkedIn, it targeted hundreds of middle-class recruits with the promise of personal fulfilment and a dream career through its up to £100-an-hour mentoring programmes.
Instead it was uncovered to be a duplicitous scheme, set up to fund the cushy life of Waugh, who at the time lived in a £2 million country estate and drove a Range Rover with plates bearing the initials of his group.
It has since all come crumbling down, with the recent news of of an arrest warrant being issued for the firm’s business director, Shaun Cooper, confirming its fall from grace.
Police are seeking the arrest and detention of the South-African raised executive after he failed to turn up to court following a court order in November 2024.
Cooper – so far the only Lighthouse senior member whose arrest has been sought -also failed to show up for interviews organised by investigators.
Cooper, Waugh and co-CEO Chris Nash – who both scampered to South Africa after Lighthouse was shut down – were asked to to turn over Lighthouse’s financial records – which they never did.
The BBC further reported that three members of Lighthouse, Kris Deichler, Jatinder Singh, and Sukh Singh were charged with ‘harassment without violence’ against the platform’s reporter, Catrin Nye, last year.
As Lighthouse executives continue to be MIA and their actions grow more murky, FEMAIL takes a look back at the company’s tumbling fall and self destruction.
How did it all begin?
Lighthouse was based in the Midlands and is also known as Lighthouse International Group.
The company was initially hailed as a premium networking club, offering exclusive access to the rich and connected who could guarantee you a ‘dream career’ and life.
It was founded in 2012 by businessman Paul Waugh who said the venture differed from many others out there, and that Lighthouse focused on its clients’ futures.
According to the BBC’s 2023 podcast, A Very British Cult, Lighthouse offered year-long mentoring courses for the price of £10,000, and for those willing to shell out an extra £25,000, they were bestowed with an esteemed place in the Lighthouse Associate Elect group.
So-called lucky members were given direct access to a network of entrepreneurs including Waugh himself, which included lengthy video calls on the expertise of business.
Content retrieved from: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-14498677/The-sinister-British-cult-lured-victims-promise-life-coaching-fleeced-members-millions-pounds-disgraced-head-honcho-goes-run.html.
