'Slapping therapy' healer convicted after woman dies in his workshop
Hongchi Xiao, a 61-year-old slapping therapist from California, was convicted in England.
An England court found an alternative healer who promoted slapping therapy as a healing method after a woman died at one of his workshops.
Hongchi Xiao, a 61-year-old from California, was convicted following the 2016 death of 71-year-old Danielle Carr-Gomm, who had diabetes.
Carr-Gomm who had Type 1 diabetes stopped using insulin while attending a retreat in Wiltshire, where Xiao suggested slapping therapy as a "cure" for diabetes.
Carr-Gomm needed daily insulin to regulate her blood glucose levels but had a lifelong fear of needles and often looked for alternative treatments.
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In July 2016, she participated in a paida lajin workshop led by Xiao in Bulgaria. Paida lajin, meaning "slapping and stretching," involves slapping oneself and others to supposedly expel toxins from the body.
In October 2016, she participated in another workshop led by Xiao at Cleeve House in Seend, Wiltshire. On the first day, she announced that she had ceased taking her insulin, and Xiao “congratulated” her for this decision.
She joined other participants in fasting but quickly became seriously ill, feeling "tired," "weak," and "howling in pain" by the third day. By the fourth day, Carr-Gomm had died from diabetic ketoacidosis.
Xiao claimed he was not the organiser of the Wiltshire workshop and received a fee for leading it. He repeatedly emphasised in court that he was not a doctor, had no medical training, and did not offer health care.
Not the first incident of negligence
Xiao had previous encounters with other diabetics who ceased taking insulin during his workshops. Carr-Gomm had discontinued her medication at the 2016 Bulgaria conference. At that time, she experienced vomiting, but Xiao convinced her to resume insulin, leading to her recovery.
In 2015, a six-year-old boy died at Xiao’s Sydney workshop after his parents halted his insulin treatment. Consequently, Xiao was imprisoned in Australia and banned from providing any medical care.
"Hongchi Xiao knew the consequences of Danielle Carr-Gomm's decision to stop taking insulin could be fatal, he had seen it before," Crown Prosecution Service's Special Crime Division, Rosemary Ainslie said after the verdict.
"Hongchi Xiao was the man in charge, yet he failed to respond to Carr-Gomm's worsening condition with tragic consequences. His failure to take reasonable steps to help Carr-Gomm substantially contributed to her death and amounted to gross negligence," she added.
(With inputs from agencies)
