Peter Nelson, 59, and his daughter Mary Anne, 38, were awakened and taken in for questioning. Their house was searched. A police officer asked Nelson where his robes were. He thought the officer was referring to bath robes; actually, the police were referring to robes that Satanists use during rituals.
	Ian and Penny Campbell were told that their children -- aged approximately 11,9, 4, 3 and 8 months -- would be taken away. She recalled later that: "No explanation was offered to the children. I cannot recall being given the opportunity to hug them or say goodbye before they were whisked away."

Peter Nelson: He commented on the reign of terror to which he and his daughter had been subjected to. He is reported as saying:

Ian Campbell: During his initial interview, which lasted for four and a half hours, the police asked him a series of probing questions. Some relate to religion. The Sunday Herald obtained transcripts of the interrogation. When asked what his "religious beliefs" are, he responded: ''I wish to remain anonymous on my beliefs because at the moment I'm not sure what I actually believe in.'' The police asked if he had an interest in the occult. He said that he was curious about it. A portion of the interview has been published. It shows a profound confusion in the mind of the officer about the occult, Religious Satanism, Wicca, Paganism, etc:

Police Officer: "Do know anyone else who, or have you heard of anyone else who, practices the occult?"

Ian Campbell: "No. I don’t know of anyone who practices that kind of religion."

PO: "Have you any knowledge of the use of statues in practicing the occult? What about the ritualistic killing of animals? Ritualistic dress, as in gowns, that type of thing? Do you have any books about witchcraft?"

IC: "Umm, Wicca witches and things like that? Yes in the kitchen?"

PO: "Wicca witches? What’s that?"

IC: "Well paganism, you don’t know about paganism?"

PO: "I don’t."

IC" "It is not against the law. Paganism is basically about people who believe in mother Earth. It’s not witchcraft as in, you know, flaming voodoo sort of things."

PO: "I have information that you were involved in devil-worshipping ceremonies. Have you ever been into devil worship?"

IC: "Not at all."

PO: "The information we have is that it has taken place and that you did use it to dress up in a long white gown and wore masks, as did your wife, and that you carried out some sort of ceremony during which there was dancing, and that your children were dressed up in a similar manner to yourselves and there was music being played, described as Indian music. And also that during this, some form of chanting and praying took place. Further to that, there was information given to us that whilst this was being conducted, it was being videoed on a camcorder. Have you been in a position of seeing any videos which would depict serious sexual abuse? People being killed, and I’m not talking acting here? Have you ever drank the blood of a chicken? Have you ever witnessed anybody else doing that? Ever drink the blood of any other animal?" ₅

The core problem seems to have been related to the term "occult" which is assigned very different meanings by different groups.

The police seem to have been following the definition used by some conservative Christians and some feminists: that an evil, underground, intergenerational, abusive network of Satanists is at the core of the occult. The many dozens of other components that consider part of the "occult" -- including Wicca, heavy metal rock music, the Masonic order, palm reading, snuff movies, child sexual abuse rings, etc. -- recruits adults into abusive Satanism. Others, apparently including Campbell, believe that the occult is composed of a number of harmless, benign, unrelated activities, such as the religions of Wicca, other Pagan traditions, Religious Satanism, methods of divination, men's service organizations, etc.

Thus, any discussion between Campbell and the police would almost automatically lead to misunderstanding, with each basing their beliefs on a different definition of the term "occult." The police asked him about the use of statues in the practicing of the occult, about ritualistic killing of animals, ritualistic dress, etc. The police were obviously linking the "occult" and a non-existent form of Satanism -- that composed of abusers and criminals. In addition it seems that they may have assumed that all Pagans, Wiccans, and Satanists engaged in Satanic Ritual Abuse of children. The police accused him of being involved in the videotaping of snuff movies in which individuals were sexually abused and then actually murdered. He denied this as well. The police said that he and another adult had engaged in animal sacrifice, killing chickens, rams, lambs with hammers and knives, and abusing dogs. He denied all such activities. ₆

The police had three pieces of evidence that they felt were incriminating:

The children's disclosures, which the police apparently did not realize were unreliable to the point of being devoid of meaning. Campbell had a book in his home with described Wicca and children. It may have been Ashleen O'Gaea's book: "The Family Wicca Book: The Craft for Parents and Children." 7 The police had apparently not read the book, or they would have realized that it was quite innocuous. Campbell's wife told the police that she: ''...recalled at the birthday party one of the girls sat on Ian's lap. He didn't like this and stood up. That is the extent of the 'physical contact'. You cannot tell me that two people will recall the same event in exactly the same way, especially after six years. Ian doesn't recall the girl sitting on his lap.''

Campbell was sent to Porterfield Prison in Inverness. His children were later returned to the care of his wife. However, when she and the children returned home, they were confronted by a mob that surrounded their house. She said: "Vigilante mobs roamed the streets and my children were left so terrified that they had to keep their bedroom lights on." When Ian was released on bail on 2003-OCT-16, the police allegedly refused to protect him on his trip home. Peggy Campbell said: "A villager who recognized him on the return ferry had arranged for a number of other people to meet him. They followed him back to the house in their cars, shouting at him." Peggy believes that the police arrested Ian because he is a Pagan. She suggests that the police showed ''blatant religious discrimination, equating paganism with devil worshipping. Ian and I believe that it was because he described himself as Pagan, and I didn't, that he was charged and I was released.'' ₈

Susan Sellwood told a reporter for the Sunday Herald:

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