British backpacker, 30, ‘brainwashed’ by New Age gurus during spiritual retreat in Bali, found dead in hotel room, investigation finds

A British businesswoman was found dead in a hotel room after being ‘brainwashed’ by New Age gurus during a spiritual retreat in Bali, an inquest has heard.

Josephine Tabor, 30, traveled the world for two and a half years in the run-up to her death, including a visit to the Indonesian province for a spiritual getaway.

Ms Tabor’s family told the court they believe she was influenced by cult-like groups after finding diary entries in which she described being given ‘truth serum’.

The 30-year-old had become interested in spiritualism after meeting her then boyfriend from America, who was “heavily interested” in zodiac signs, tarot readings, retreats and other new age practices.

And in a final tragic diary entry, Mrs. Tabor wrote, “I have tried everything but suicide. It’s my last roll of the dice.’

Josephine Tabor, 30, (pictured) was found dead by a hotel cleaner on the morning of December 30, 2021

Ms Tabor has a degree in Psychology from Cardiff University and was also a qualified yoga teacher with a social media page dedicated to her teaching

In statements filed at Taunton Coroner’s Court, her family said: ‘These retreats claimed to provide answers, they have thousands of followers, this does not make them qualified or altruistic.

‘We know that an inquest cannot identify the guilty, but there is a cult-like side to many of these retreats.

“When a vulnerable person is told that a higher power can help them and that the universe is looking after them, not friends and family, they have no one to turn to because they have been brainwashed that the answers are not here , but in another. universe.’

Mrs Tabor’s parents, farmers James and Elizabeth, said ‘the family was united’ in the belief that the vulnerable Josephine had been victimized during these retreats and she recounted the experiences in her diaries.

They said she had attended a three-week retreat in Bali in the month leading up to her death in December 2021, adding that they had a feeling their daughter attended another retreat in Turkey but were unsure.

She was found dead in a Turkish hotel room after dying by suicide on December 30, 2021.

Although Ms. Tabor’s family said they had been concerned for years that “she was trapped in a spiritual world,” they did not want to criticize her lifestyle.

The court heard Ms Tabor was an ‘independent and capable woman’ who ran a successful online marketing and branding company with a large following, including more than 15,000 followers on social media.

She was found dead in a Turkish hotel room after dying by suicide on December 30, 2021

Although Ms. Tabor’s family said they had been concerned for years that “she was trapped in a spiritual world,” they did not want to criticize her lifestyle.

She has a degree in psychology from Cardiff University and was also a qualified yoga teacher with a social media page dedicated to her teaching.

Her family told the court that Ms Tabor had no obvious life stresses that they were aware of, was not short of money and had no dependents.

Evidence from Mrs Tabor’s GP, at her home in Yeovil, Somerset, was that she had no mental health problems and that there were no physical health problems that could have contributed to her suicide.

Investigations by the Turkish authorities have revealed no indications of alcohol or drug use.

Excerpts from Ms Tabor’s diaries were read out in court, where she wrote about the Hindu goddess of death and destruction, saying: “I have done all the inner work possible and I am called to a true vocation.”

Assistant coroner Steve Cavell said the books contained “a pseudo-mystical religious theme throughout”, made mention of past lives and “talked about suicide as a freedom”.

In a tragic final diary entry, Mrs. Tabor wrote, “I have tried everything but suicide. It’s my last roll of the dice.’

Ms Tabor was found dead by a hotel cleaner at Istanbul’s Atik Hotel on the morning of December 30, 2021, just days before she was due to return to Britain to visit her sister who had just given birth.

Relatives said when they spoke to Ms Tabor on December 18 that there was no cause for concern and that she had even promised to bring back Turkish Delight.

In a tragic final diary entry, Mrs. Tabor wrote, “I have tried everything but suicide. It’s my last roll of the dice’

Mr Cavell said Ms Tabor had “developed an interest in the spiritual world. Her diaries contained references to what seemed to be Hindu and Buddhist themes, concepts of birth and rebirth, finding oneself, fulfillment and leaving the past behind.

‘Her family believe she attended one or more retreats which may have had an impact on her, but I am not making any findings on this as I do not have the evidence and this is outside the scope of the investigation.

‘Towards the end of her life the diaries become darker in tone. There is a suggestion that she became disillusioned with her relationships and how she felt mistreated and that she had been naive in looking for the goodness in people.

“I can tell she intended to do what she did [and that she] not just planning[ed] about taking the action she took, but that the action was aimed at ending her life.

‘This is evident from the entries in her last notebook in which she clearly indicates that she is considering committing suicide.

‘This contradicts what she told her family in recent days, namely that she intended to return to visit them, especially her sister who had just given birth, and I cannot explain this.

‘It is entirely possible that her mood deteriorated after a conversation with her family.

‘We don’t know Jo’s movements over the Christmas period. We do know that she was not in her room with anyone else between December 29 and December 30, 2021.

‘While there are wider questions that remain unanswered regarding her movements in general and in the months leading up to her death, I believe I can answer legal questions.

“It would be wrong for me to speculate on other matters and I don’t have the evidence to do so.”

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