When I see the videos, I feel deeply shocked. They bring up dark memories that still affect me 8 years later.
It took a year to obtain these edited videos. They show a moment which was used to present me as aggressive and violent, and which led to me being called to the local police station. These videos played a vital role in why I left the architecture practice I had founded.
They show me being filmed by people I once trusted — three people recording me during one of my most vulnerable and stressful moments. Their behaviour was as intimidating as something out of a Scientology playbook.
I am proud that I remained calm, managed to lock myself in a room, and even created a screen to shield myself from being filmed. In that moment, I felt like an animal being hunted. The act of filming was clearly intended to provoke a reaction. They made no effort to de-escalate the situation or to relieve the pressure.
All of this took place after yet another unfair accusation from an ex-business partner. I decided to use the meeting room as my personal space and office in order to remove myself from the ongoing intimidation. Naturally, this decision was not welcomed, and they tried to stop me from moving into the room.
During the confrontation, there was some minor pushing, but little was broken and no one was hurt. After I locked myself inside, they continued to film me while I was crying.
To stop the filming, I took a mobile phone and threw it into the river. I took full responsibility for that act — it was the only wrongdoing on my part. All other accusations were unfounded.
The only reason this incident attracted police interest was because they wanted to portray me as unstable and dangerous — and because of the family's close connections to the police.
Sadly, the RIBA did not acknowledge how unfair this situation was. What value do workplace policies have if it is acceptable to place such immense pressure on one person?
Looking back, this was undoubtedly a moment that triggered symptoms similar to PTSD. It took me five years to overcome it.
I requested the unedited versions of the videos and asked whether they had been used in any proceedings, but I received no response to this query.