Arcadia Discussion Zone

God, a sleepless night ahead

He needed medication ?

My cheque from Bill/Ben seems to be lost in the post.

Know what this picture is of, Raven? It's a picture of us looking Foolish again.

[/quote]

Rainy,
Too subtle for a sunday can you tell us why you posted this pic?

TD

Thanks Jean Vie
I guess we await more details
I do remember Nic Haywood saying in his interview " We were waiting for the right someone to handle the goods"
Something like that in the movie...Anybody else remember that

I raised an eyebrow on that

Being led up the garden path maybe?

VAM

Rainy,
Too subtle for a sunday can you tell us why you posted this pic?

TD[/quote]

One of the satellite dishes is pointing in the wrong direction.
"Bloody hell, Sky Sports 1 has gone on the blink !"

Stay safe Pilrig!

Don't let 'em take you without a fight.

I hope not. I hope everything's okay. I'm sure it'll resolve itself.

Yes, there is no peace for the wicked.

I on the other hand slept like a baby, secure in the knowledge that I am immune from any indictment by any kangaroo court.

Fortunately for me, the plea of gullability is an extenuating factor (otherwise I would suffer a similar fate to yours).

There will always be a degree of healthy scepticsm where not hands on but as regards Ben's Tomb cave it has proved to be a very wise decision to keep the location of Ben's Tomb cave secret. But I am sure Ben won't mind me saying that prior to Bruce's film team arriving by plane on site we visited the site and filmed inside and outside of the cave. We did not have the cable with us to film down the hole at that time so we could not do that at that time. As the film contains lots of views in and around the cave it will be kept in a safe place for as long as is needed. But it does exist and will continue to remain as evidence.
Regarding the bottles, what other option was open to Sauniere following the murder of the priests including Gelis and other death threats from a powerful bunch of thugs? It seems the best way and it has proved effective.

I have had intense discussions with Ben - very angry exchanges, demanding to know what has been going on. It is now clear to me that the conversations we have had do now need to be made public. Ben has agreed to make a statement here that i will post in a little while.

Statement from Ben:

"It has been a long time coming and something that is long overdue. And to tell the truth, for once, I am glad it has all finally come out and I thank Andrew for being the intermediary that facilitated this outcome. I have thought many times about coming clean and telling the truth, but lacked the guts to do so.
Everything I said I discovered is a hoax, planted by me and only me.
Sandy, Bill, Pat, Rene and Bruce, my brother, and everyone else were unwitting pawns in my game, for the lack of a better word. I have no idea why I did it, or carried on what was at first a stupid prank that escalated out of control. My intention was never to deceive, but then of course it was by doing what I did.
Perhaps I did it for the money, though very little was ever forthcoming and realised early on that it probably never would.
Did I do it for fame and attention? Perhaps. I did enjoy it at times but it wasn’t the driving force behind it.
Maybe I just carried on to see what I could get away with. I really don’t know.
I know saying sorry to the many friends and acquaintances I have made and deceived over the years, can in no way make up for what I have done. There is probably nothing I can say or do now to right the wrong. But I am very, very sorry and know that many of them I will lose, which apart from the deceit, is perhaps the worst thing about this sorry and despicable act of mine.
Have I made money from my exploits, yes, a bit through book sales, but nearly all the money I have made has paid for further research and my many trips to rlc to try and find something real that I still believe to be there, to in some way hope to make up for my past deeds. I do believe Saunière found a secret, something hidden in the vicinity of Rennes-le-Chateau, and there is something truly amazing to be found. It is something that I will continue looking for.
I have had nothing since bad luck since I become involved with the Rennes-le-Chateau affair, bad karma, almost certainly. Today I have no money, no family life, no home and now probably very few friends. It is perhaps a well disserved outcome.
I apologize to everyone who has supported me over the years, everyone who bought my book, but most of all I apologize to my friends and family for letting them down. I cannot say sorry enough to Sandy, Bill, Rene and many others for being my friends and supporting me all these years. I have lied to you and let you down in such a big way I cannot even hope for your forgiveness.
Anyone who would like to return my book can contact me for a refund and when I have the money I will reimburse them.
Ben"

Thank you to Andrew Gough for finally obtaining a still from the Loch Ness video! Only someone with a

lot of influence could do that. I`d like to see the whole video. I was talking about the Loch Ness evidence

when I said that there just wasn`t any more evidence - not the whole RLC cave-tomb dispute - sorry

Andrew. As a former professional mermaid, I`d like to judge the Lake Monster video for myself.

So Ben, you really did hear about Sauniere`s map circled in red when you were in the village, right?

I know that the Centurion stone was real.

How long have you known, Pat?

I might as well say here and now - the next batch of people who get the latest issue of Rhedesium, please excuse the torn out pages entitled 'The Hammott Tomb Occupant' ....

Glad to see that you can maintain your sense of humor in light of all of this , Sandy. I'm still laughing.

But can I still have my copy intact, please?

Paul,


With the last few intense days speaking with Ben, when he finally said 'I have something to say and you are going to hate me ...' i knew the game was up.

It was the threats exhibited on the Glykon posts, naming me as part of a hoax ....i was visiting a solicitor tomorrow for libel - and i asked Ben one more time - 'are you telling me the truth?'

Then it was out.

To be honest, im glad its all over.

And i'm prepared to face the jokers because i believed him.

Funny thing is - i dont even believe the bloody confession now!!! Dont believe nothing .....

Thanks Sandy for putting up Ben's apology
and to Ben for being brave enough to give it.

Well, I do have to say I'm not that surprised. I just hope as Ben/Bill says that other parties involved can move on and not let this affect them too much.
I believe that the whole affair has actually brought some positive research to the genre, Ben's website for example contains great photo's and some interesting collated knowledge.
To Sandy, Bill K, and Pat, when someone you trust and believe in lets you down it is harsh. However, testament to your characters that you have stood by and defended what you honestly believed was true, and I for one respect that.
There is no doubt that what 'Hammott' did was wrong, but he was not the first and I'm sure won't be the last person to let his imagination run away with him in the environs of Rennes-le-Chateau.
I have Ben's first book, I certainly don't want a refund as I read it with a pinch of salt and enjoyed it for what it was!
To quote Dan Drown in the first page of the Da Vinci Code :-
"Fact: The Priory of Sion - a European secret society founded in 1099 - is a real organization."

On a positive note, I'm still looking forward to the next Rhedesium, with or without 'The Hammott Tomb Occupant'
Best wishes to those feeling betrayed.
Regards
Nic

I think Kersey is the one you need to ask.

I have to say the Bigou vial and parchment
was one of the most convincing pieces in the hoax

I'm not sure Ben could have done that himself but then I may have underestimated him

I'm not going to give my book back either. and I loved all the photos