Did Tom Cruise banish his 14-year old niece from the family?

In case you were not aware, Tom Cruise is not just an A-list Hollywood actor, he’s also a devout member of the church of Scientology.

In a new tell-all interview, one former Scientologist has come forward with some shocking insight into the goings-on of the church. One very intriguing he claim he makes is that Tom Cruise kicked his own niece out their family and sent her across the country to do “penance” for her sin.

The sin in question? Kissing a boy. She was a 14-year old at the time.

Radar Online reports the former member who has come forward is Nick Lister who has been banned from Scientology. Nick describes how 10 years ago he came to know Tom’s niece, Jamie, when he worked as a teaching assistant at Scientology’s school in Clearwater, Florida.

Nick says the two were “really, really good friends” and he noticed “she was always just very upset”.

In the interview Nick, now 27, explains: “One night she breaks down, crying, she had talked to her mom earlier that day and she said, ‘I really want to be back with the family.'”

Unfortunately her mom was not in a forgiving mood, Nick added: “I think she had seen her mom once in two years.”

Jamie had to “petition” to her family to allow her to move back home, but her uncle Tom rejected her several times.

Nick explained her offence, saying:

“She made out with a boy on Tom Cruise’s property…  It was caught by the cameras. Security all Scientologists — if you don’t believe me, ask Katie Holmes — they reported to Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise decides it’s unbecoming…for a Scientologist in his family to do such a thing and he kept her from family functions”

He continued that it wasn’t the decision of the church to send Jamie away from her family:

 “The Church did not say, ‘We don’t like what Jamie did.’ Tom Cruise didn’t like what Jamie did. He called the shots on it. He made the decision on behalf of his sister, or disregarding his sister, to take her daughter away from her.”

Tom isn't the only famous face to be linked to the Scientology religion, recently Orange Is The New Black star Laura Prepon gave a detailed interview with Celebrity Magazine. That is the publication of choice for celebrity Scientologists according to Gawker.