Slap therapy ‘healer’ found guilty over death of grandmother
An alternative “healer” who thought Western medicine was “evil” has been convicted of manslaughter after a diabetic grandmother died at one of his slap therapy workshops.
Hongchi Xiao, 61, congratulated Danielle Carr-Gomm after she stopped taking insulin at his four-day retreat where he performed paida lajin, a Chinese holistic therapy that involves slapping patients.
Mrs Carr-Gomm, a follower of Xiao’s who wanted to get rid of her Type 1 diabetes, fell gravely ill over the course of the workshop at Cleeve House in Seend, Wiltshire, in October 2016.
She was heard “howling in pain” before dying of diabetic ketoacidosis on the fourth day, aged 71.
Duncan Atkinson KC, prosecuting, told the jury that Mrs Carr-Gomm, who considered Xiao a “messenger sent from God”, had sought alternatives to her insulin medication because of her vegetarianism and fear of needles.
The court had heard how Xiao said “well done” to Mrs Carr-Gomm after she told the group she had stopped taking her insulin.
Mr Atkinson said that by the third day “she was vomiting, tired and weak, and by the evening she was howling in pain and unable to respond to questions”.
Teresa Hayes, a chef at the workshop, told jurors Mrs Carr-Gomm was “delirious” and “frothing at the mouth” before she died, adding that she wanted to call an ambulance but trusted those with more experience of the holistic healing method.
Xiao did not react as he was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence by a jury at Winchester Crown Court.
The alternative therapist, from Cloudbreak, California, will be sentenced on Oct 1.
The court heard he ignored medical evidence that diabetics need lifesaving insulin and “evangelised” his slap therapy course as a “cure” for the disease.
Xiao refused to call for urgent medical help, which jurors heard would have saved Mrs Carr-Gomm’s life, and led patients to think that her worsening condition was a “healing crisis”.
He “rediscovered” the ancient Chinese healing art and became “the world’s leading expert in it” after his “re-invention”, the court was told. A video released by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) showed how he slapped people during his workshops and encouraged them to slap themselves.
Prosecutors told of his “entrenched” views that medicines such as insulin were “poison” and instead believed in the “curative powers of paida lajin”.
Previous manslaughter conviction
Paida lajin means “slap and stretch” in Chinese, and practitioners such as Xiao – who has no medical qualifications – believe the practice of slapping people in various positions can cure diseases and ailments.
Xiao claimed it could lead to full recovery in 90 per cent of cases, including for people with diabetes.
In March 2015, he held a workshop in India in conjunction with the Diabetes Research Centre and was given a report informing him about the risk of death for Type 1 diabetics who stop taking insulin.
A month later, in Australia, the parents of a six-year-old boy with the disease took their son to Xiao in the hope of curing him.
The child stopped taking insulin under Xiao’s instruction and he died during one of his workshops, around 17 months before Mrs Carr-Gomm’s death.
Jurors heard Xiao was convicted of manslaughter in Australia over the case.
‘Important influence’
Mrs Carr-Gomm, from Lewes, East Sussex, first attended one of Xiao’s workshops in Bulgaria in July 2016.
She was an “obsessive vegetarian” who had a fear of needles, so did not like injecting insulin and as a result “tried every kind of alternative therapy”, the court heard.
At the Bulgarian workshop, Xiao “assured Mrs Carr-Gomm he could help her with her diabetes” and she stopped taking insulin, but was eventually given it when she became “extremely unwell”.
Mr Atkinson said Xiao had an “important influence” over Mrs Carr-Gomm and would have known there was an “obvious and serious risk of death” from her not taking insulin.
He added that Xiao’s “failure to take reasonable steps in those circumstances substantially contributed to Mrs Carr-Gomm’s death and amounted to gross negligence”.
Giving evidence during the trial, Xiao said he would “never” persuade someone who needed insulin not to take it, adding that insulin was “useful”.
On his attitude towards medication at his workshops, he said: “First of all, I said I’m not a medical doctor, so everyone is responsible for their own medication.
“Secondly, I’m not fully against medicine, what I’m concerned about is the side effect of the medicine.”
‘Little remorse’
Following the verdict, Rosemary Ainslie, from the CPS, said Xiao knew the consequences of Ms Carr-Gomm’s decision to stop taking insulin because “he had seen it before”.
She added: “Hongchi Xiao was the man in charge, yet he failed to respond to Mrs Carr-Gomm’s worsening condition, with tragic consequences.
“His failure to take reasonable steps to help Mrs Carr-Gomm substantially contributed to her death and amounted to gross negligence.”
Detective Constable Dave Topp, from Wiltshire Police, said: “Danielle put her trust in Xiao; he was extremely convincing and confident in his beliefs.
“This has been an extremely complex investigation with a high level of medical expertise sought before Xiao could be extradited and put before the courts.”
He added: “Xiao’s not guilty plea has only shown the little remorse he has over Danielle’s death and has made an extremely difficult and upsetting process for Danielle’s family even more prolonged and distressing.
“Danielle was a mother and a grandmother who enjoyed life and had a love of travelling.
“Her death came as a huge shock to her family and friends and our thoughts are very much with them at this time.”