‘Healer’ jailed for killing woman, 71, who died during bizarre ‘slapping therapy workshop’
A “DISTURBING” self-proclaimed healer who failed to get help for a dying gran during a “slapping therapy workshop” has been jailed.
Hongchi Xiao, 61, ran bizarre Paida Lajin therapy events in which patients would either be slapped or repeatedly slap themselves.
But Danielle Carr-Gomm, a 71-year-old diabetic woman, died after attending one of the week-long workshops in Seend, Wiltshire, in October 2016.
Just 18 months earlier, Xiao was prosecuted over the death of a six-year-old boy when his parents withdrew his insulin medication after attending another of his workshops in Sydney 18 months prior to her death.
Xiao openly criticised the use of insulin and had previously written that doctors are “brainwashed”.
The alternative healer, who was extradited from Australia to face trial in Britain, was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter at Winchester Crown Court in July earlier this year.
He was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment at the same court today.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Bright said: “You knew from late in the afternoon of day one of the fact that Danielle Carr-Gomm had stopped taking her insulin.
“Furthermore you made it clear to her you supported this.”
The judge said Xiao made a “token effort” to get her to take her insulin which was too little, too late and showed “no real sign of clear remorse” as he continues to promote Paida Laijin in prison.
“I consider you dangerous even though you do not share the characteristics of most other dangerous offenders,” he added.
The trial earlier heard how Danielle was left “howling in pain” after becoming seriously ill on the fourth day of his week-long workshop.
She had been seeking alternatives to her insulin medication for type 1 diabetes, after being diagnosed in 1999, due to a fear of needles and her vegetarianism.
Danielle first joined a Paida Lajin workshop, which translates to “slap and stretch”, run by the defendant in Bulgaria in July 2016.
She became seriously ill after halting her insulin medicine, but subsequently restarted taking it and recovered.
But Danielle was praised by Xiao after she had stopped taking the medication, telling the workshop “well done” even after she became unwell.
By the third day of no medication, Danielle was “vomiting, tired and weak”.
And by the evening, the court heard she was “howling in pain and unable to respond to questions”.
Teresa Hayes, a chef at the workshop, told the trial how Danielle was also “delirious” and “frothing at the mouth” before she died.
Duncan Atkinson KC, prosecuting, said Xiao failed to get medical help for Danielle despite knowing she was risking death.
She died in the early hours of the following day.
The court heard Xiao had been an “exponent” of Paida Lajin for 10 years and had written a book on it.
But Mr Atkinson added: “It is said to be a method of self-healing in which ‘poisonous waste’ is expelled from the body through patting and slapping parts of the body.”
“He does not have medical qualifications or training.”
Xiao, from California, also claimed in his book that “doctors are brainwashed by drug producers to act as salespersons for their drugs”.
He said the slapping therapy caused “poisonous waste” to be released from the body through patting parts of it
Footage from a workshop he led in 2015 shows Xiao teaching patients how to slap the inside of their elbows.
He can be heard telling a crowd: “No pain, no gain.”
But the healer was today jailed for 10 years with a five-year extended licence period at Winchester Crown Court.
The judge told Xiao he would be released after serving two thirds of his prison term and would be liable to be deported back to the US.
After her death, Danielle’s son Matthew Carr-Gomm, who lives in New Zealand, said: “She was always keen to try and find alternative methods of treating and dealing with her diabetes, and was very interested in alternative and holistic medicine and therapies.
“I know she was desperate to try and cure herself of this disease.
“She always maintained a healthy lifestyle and was adamant that nothing would stop her from living a full life.
“In recent years, mum was in a great place with a partner, a lovely home and was travelling the world. She had a lot of life left in her.”
Rosemary Ainslie, Head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said: “Hongchi Xiao knew the consequences of Danielle Carr-Gomm’s decision to stop taking insulin could be fatal – he had seen it before.
“The prosecution successfully applied for bad character evidence to be made admissible, so that members of the jury could hear about Xiao’s previous conviction in Australia which arose from strikingly similar circumstances and followed the death of a child also deprived of insulin.
“Xiao openly criticised the use of insulin and congratulated Mrs Carr-Gomm on her decision to stop using it at the workshop she was attending in Wiltshire.
“Once she became extremely unwell, as a result of not taking her medication, he took no action to seek medical assistance or persuade her to take her insulin.
“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.”
DCI Phil Walker, of Wiltshire Police, added: “This has been an extremely complex investigation, with nearly eight years having passed since Danielle’s sad death.
“This passage of time, which has been out of our control, has of course added further challenges and complications to the investigation, but I am pleased that a custodial sentence has now been given to Xiao.
“He had no medical qualifications yet, despite this, was actively encouraging those in attendance at his workshops to refrain from taking their regular medication, knowing full well the consequences.
“Xiao’s not guilty plea has only shown the little remorse he has over Danielle’s death and has made an already 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.”