Welcome to the BFMS WebsiteUse the navigation bar to find out about the Society, share our information resources or read about our books. You can also read our latest newsletter, catch up with the latest news or find out about events. Red text indicates pages that have been updated recently. The Google search button to search the BFMS site is temporarily unavailable. NEWS Tribute to author, Richard WebsterRichard died on 24th June 2011 of sudden heart failure. He was aged 60. At the time of his death he had been on the verge of publishing his latest book which exposed the largest and longest-lasting paedophile-ring scare which had been taking place in Portugal. Richard, no stranger to dealing with controversial causes, strove to reveal the truth in cases where entrenched belief, uncritical acceptance and poor practice fuelled modern day witch hunts. Among his numerous works is his book, Why Freud was Wrong, Sin Science and Psychoanalysis, in which he argued powerfully from a sceptical point of view revealing how Freud, 'Far from being the fearless and independent thinker of psychoanalytic legend - repeatedly fell under the spell of charismatic theorists who were mistaken or deluded.' He wrote a chapter specifically dealing with Freud's false memories in which he explained, 'there is a great deal of evidence, most of it in Freud's own frank and astonishing words, that he went out of his way to persuade, encourage, cajole and sometimes bully his femail patients to reproduce scenes of child sexual abuse which he himself had reconstructed from their symptoms or their associations'. At his memorial service in Oxford, Roger Scotford, founder of the BFMS, spoke movingly of their friendship over the years. "Richard used to tell me off! If I wrote something that he didn't approve of, he would ring up and put me back on the right track. Always of course, with good grace and accompanied by that laugh of his which we all knew so well. I have to acknowledge that he was always right. His advice was well intentioned, cogent and was much appreciated. He was always right - except once. In 1996, Richard came to the annual general meeting of the British False Memory Society in London. Before the meeting opened, he berated me for allowing an unscheduled speaker to address our members. Richard thought that we were giving a platform to someone who was supporting notorious care workers who should be in prison. But, by his eloquence and the clarity of his case, John Rayfield from the Bryn Estyn care home in North Wales set Richard on a new course. Together with Gwen Hurst, John started Richard's quest for the truth at the care home. A truth that Richard's book, The Secret of Bryn Estyn - The making of a modern witch hunt revealed with more insight than the official judicial review ever achieved. From Bryn Estyn Richard went on to study the Shieldfield Nursery case and there are two people, Dawn and Chris, both here today who, I am certain, could not be more grateful for the work that he did for them. (He and investigative journalist, Bob Woffinden, with the assistance of Sir Geoffrey Bindman and barristers Adrienne Page QC and Adam Speker, helped to bring a successful case for defamation against the Newcastle social services panel which condemned the nursery workers as guilty even though they had been cleared of any wrongdoing in a court of law.) Richard was fearless in his search for the truth and we hope that his writings will live on forever. We are all going to miss him so much." Richard Webster's obituary written by Bob Woffinden appeared at www.guardian.co.uk Sunday 31 July 2011.
*** Tribute to BFMS Scientific and Professional Advisory Board member
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