A new television documentary has made explosive allegations against bestselling author Raynor Winn, claiming she stole tens of thousands of pounds from a family business before finding literary fame.
Widow's Account of Alleged Theft
Ros Hemmings, whose husband Martin died in 2012, has spoken publicly for the first time about the moment she and her husband uncovered the alleged fraud. Winn, whose real name is Sally Walker, worked as a bookkeeper for the Hemmings' property firm in the early 2000s.
Mrs Hemmings tells journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou in The Salt Path Scandal, airing on Sky Documentaries at 9pm tonight, that they grew suspicious about their company's finances. Her husband allegedly discovered his signature had been forged on multiple cheques.
"Martin and I, we took all the books home for the whole time that she had worked for us and started working backwards. It took months," Mrs Hemmings states. "We felt there was £64,000 [missing]."
Police Investigation and Disputed Claims
According to the documentary, Winn was arrested and questioned by police but was allegedly released on the understanding she would return the next day. Mrs Hemmings claims officers later told her: "It's a bit embarrassing, we've lost her."
The programme reveals alleged confession letters in which Winn admitted to taking money from her mother and parents-in-law. One purported letter states: "Please don't look any further for the money. I've taken it, all of it... Any statements she [her mother] has had over the last 18 months are fake. I forged them."
Winn's niece claims in the documentary: "She left my grandmother with no money. She forged my grandmother's bank statements. It broke her to the very core."
Author's Denial and Impact on Bestselling Story
Raynor Winn has strongly disputed all the allegations, including the latest revelations. In a statement released yesterday, she said: "I did not steal from family, as others can confirm. Nor have I confessed to doing so and I did not write the letter suggesting I did."
Her memoir, The Salt Path, sold millions of copies and was made into a film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. It told how she and her husband, known as Moth (real name Tim Walker), became homeless and walked the 630-mile South West Coast Path after a failed business deal.
However, the documentary and a prior investigation by The Observer claim Winn actually lost her home after taking out a loan to repay money allegedly stolen from the Hemmings. The programme also questions the diagnosis of Moth's claimed degenerative brain condition, with a neurology specialist noting the author's husband shows no obvious symptoms.
Mrs Hemmings describes the lasting impact of the alleged theft, linking it to her husband's death four years later. "[It was] just soul destroying. And for Martin it was soul destroying. Four years later he died. Poor Martin. It was awful," she says.
The Salt Path Scandal airs tonight at 9pm on Sky Documentaries.
