Thread 3: To feel disappointed after reading this in The Observer about the author and her husband from The Salt Path book and film?

[DisappointedReader]

The Observer The real Salt Path: how a blockbuster book and film were ...

Thread One ^www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5368194-to-feel-disappointed-after-reading-this-in-the-observer-about-the-author-and-her-husband-from-the-salt-path-book-and-film?^

Thread 2 Thread 2. To feel disappointed after reading this in The Observer about the author and her husband from The Salt Path book and film? | Mumsnet

The 2015 letter reads very much like it's the first time any medical professional has considered CBD as a possible diagnosis, so it suggests there is no earlier correspondence to bolster the Salt Path version

Maybe the papers are still processing the statement from the Walkers and writing their stories but no outlet seems to have rushed out a response yet. Which is somewhat surprising given it made the main BBC and ITV news bulletins earlier this week.

Of course no paper or news bulletin can be forced to report an update on a previous story. It would seem like just desserts if they all just ignored the statement and didn’t give the couple a platform to ‘defend’ themselves with their ‘truth’.

The only caveat to this would be if they had a Plan B in place in France. I have learned to my disfortune that you cannot throw anything away in France.

I think "Sally walker says she just paid the £64,000 back out of the goodness of her heart even though she didn't steal it" is going to be a tricky narrative for even the most credulous reporter to swallow

I've got detailed medical correspondence from 2015 - I was seriously ill then. I've also got detailed medical correspondence going back to 2012 for my mother.

I'm not sure what your point is here. They've produced letters so that means....what exactly? The letters prove he isn't dying of a terminal disease so are not very helpful to them.

Honestly, I just don’t see it as this massive, calculated fraud. From what’s been shared so far, it looks like there was some kind of serious health scare, and they tried to make sense of it the only way they knew how. Did they get some things wrong or muddy the waters? Probably. And yes, that weird bit about the almost-admitted embezzlement doesn’t help their case definitely dodgy and needs owning up to.

But still, loads of people connected with their story. It clearly moved people and gave them hope, and I don't think that should be thrown out entirely.

Also, not to be funny, but if any of us were expected to suddenly produce documents or letters from 2013 to back up a medical thing, we’d be totally stuffed.

And I dunno—there’s something a bit off about the sheer glee some people are showing about all this. Wanting answers is fine, but the pile-on? Feels more like public shaming than truth-seeking tbh.

She had nearly over 3 days to write that story. The style's very romantic in parts, isn't it? The French property is "an uninhabitable ruin in a bramble patch". Plus full drama on the "It drained everything." and "We are accused.."

It uses the passive and reductive language as a non-apology apology re the embezzlement and the £800 debt to a local garage:

"It was also a time when mistakes were being made in the business. Any mistakes I made during the years in that office, I deeply regret, and I am truly sorry."

"And to the man in the garage, who says I owe him money - if I have missed a debt, please contact me."

Overall I agree with PP who said it's too long. And I don't think it's been brilliantly proofread as she incorrectly uses "Onto" instead of "On to".

Former student of linguistics here :-)

Thread 4:

Thread 4: To feel disappointed after reading this in The Observer about the author and her husband from The Salt Path book and film? | Mumsnet

Me too 😳

I genuinely cannot understand how people can read what this woman is writing and give her the benefit of the doubt. She has produced no evidence that her husband actually has cbd/cbs and nothing from 2013 or before. She does not refute the observer’s claim she embezzled 64k and then covered it up by getting a loan off someone else.

It’s fascinating. This woman only cares about herself, every action she takes is to gain for herself, she lies and steals and cheats to gain for herself. She fell on hard times because of her own actions. But people still want to believe she is just so lovely and giving she risks her whole financial future on helping a friend out who is already a bad investment or paying £100k to a past employer because they’ve said something she doesn’t have the evidence to say she didn’t. Barmy

Property in France
What we own in France is an uninhabitable ruin in a bramble patch, on the boundary of a family member’s property. Bought in 2007, by remortgaging our home, to prevent a developer buying it. It has missing walls, a collapsed roof, no running water, drainage, or electricity. It is not the property shown in the video accompanying the Observer article. We have never lived there, that would be impossible, and we haven’t been there since 2007. The insinuation that we were not homeless, the central premise of the book, is utterly unfounded. Nor, do we owe any council tax in France, there are no debts outstanding there.
We did try to sell the land after the economic crash in 2013, but the local agent said it was virtually worthless and saw no point in marketing it.

I find this comment about the French property on the rebuttal statement rather strange: if the uninhabitable bramble patch on the boundary of a family member's property which the Walker's bought in 2007 to prevent it being bought by a property developer is virtually worthless and therefore no point selling it in 2013 after the economic crash (wasn't the GFC in 2008?), why would a property developer have been interested in buying it in the first place?

In jounalistic parlance, the watch and wait approach is key following an exposé.

They may have called it wait till they squeal, but I think that's a vibe that should be long forgotten.

@savory what possible impact is some of us sharing our views on MN going to have on the probably multimillionaire Winn whatever? We are not their problem. The media in all its forms are their problem now, not a few threads here.

The nonsensical #bekind rubbish that pollutes any attempt at rational thought seems to never go away.

rouge or rogue? :)

People in this country love to see people fall from grace. Even if they are luars why is everyone so chuffed about it?
For me, it has inspired me to start hilking again.
It has also taught me how much hate the homeless and hippy/ eco warrior types.

Again with the ruined property. How many times is that? And all failed.

The medical part was the weakest part of the Observer's scoop.

And here Sally Walker is providing all the letters that can now back up the Observer's claims.

Is she mad?

She says the 'loss' of £64K for the company was because of errors she made in the accounting.

No, she doesn't.

What she means is she did not have the evidence to support her version of what happened

How much evidence do you need to show all those fake invoices you created weren't fake?

Do you mean how 'many' hate the hippie types?

No one is chuffed.

They are sad and disappointed that the trust they had in an author, writing a semi-memoir seems shattered because she wasn't being honest.

Do you mean the multimillionaire "homeless and hippy/ eco warrior types."?

Because that is what these two are now.

They're eco warriors like I'm Kim Kardashian.

That is what she says.

However, Winn acknowledged making "mistakes" earlier in her career, after the Observer said she had defrauded her previous employer of £64,000. She said it had been a pressured time.

"Any mistakes I made during the years in that office, I deeply regret, and I am truly sorry," she said, but added the case had been settled between her and her ex-employer on a "non-admissions basis" and although she was questioned by the police, she was not charged.

Was the 'mistake' an accounting mistake or does she mean she did steal and that was her mistake (and to be found out!)

I find this comment about the French property on the rebuttal statement rather strange: if the uninhabitable bramble patch on the boundary of a family member's property which the Walker's bought in 2007 to prevent it being bought by a property developer is virtually worthless and therefore no point selling it in 2013 after the economic crash (wasn't the GFC in 2008?), why would a property developer have been interested in buying it in the first place?

That's a really good point!