LONDON — A healer promoting “slapping therapy” for various ailments has been handed a 10-year prison sentence following the death of a 71-year-old woman with diabetes who ceased her insulin treatment while attending his workshop.
Hongchi Xiao, 61, was found guilty of manslaughter due to gross negligence after he neglected to seek medical assistance for Danielle Carr-Gomm, who suffered extreme pain and exhibited signs of distress during the fourth day of his workshop in October 2016. The workshop was held in the U.K., and it was here that Carr-Gomm’s situation tragically deteriorated.
Residing in Cloudbreak, California, Xiao advocated for the practice of paida lajin therapy, which involves patients repeatedly slapping themselves in order to eliminate what he referred to as “poisonous waste” from their bodies. Though this practice draws inspiration from traditional Chinese medicine, it has faced significant criticism for its lack of scientific evidence, often resulting in physical harm such as bruises and bleeding among participants. Carrie-Gomm was not the only patient of Xiao who suffered a fatal outcome.
Xiao was extradited from Australia, where he had already been convicted of manslaughter linked to the death of a young boy. The child’s parents had stopped his insulin treatment after participating in one of Xiao’s workshops in Sydney, leading to the tragic loss.
Judge Robert Bright characterized Xiao as a dangerous individual during the sentencing proceedings at Winchester Crown Court. “You were aware from the first day that Danielle Carr-Gomm had ceased her insulin therapy,” the judge stated, adding that Xiao appeared to endorse her decision. The judge expressed disappointment in the fact that Xiao only made a superficial attempt to encourage Carr-Gomm to resume her insulin intake, and noted that he displayed no remorse, continuing to promote his controversial therapy while incarcerated.
Carr-Gomm had been living with type 1 diabetes since 1999 and was seeking alternatives to the need for injections, shared her son, Matthew. Drawn to alternative therapies, she attended a previous workshop by Xiao in Bulgaria just months before her death, during which her health deteriorated after she stopped her medication. Nevertheless, she recorded a testimonial praising Xiao as a “messenger sent by God,” who was leading a revolution to empower individuals to heal themselves and reform the healthcare system.
During the workshop in question, Xiao congratulated Carr-Gomm when she announced her decision to discontinue her insulin treatments. However, by the third day of the workshop, her condition had worsened significantly. Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson detailed that Carr-Gomm experienced severe nausea, exhaustion, and pain, rendering her unable to answer questions by the evening.
A chef present who attempted to alert medical personnel was hesitant, opting instead to defer to others who claimed expertise in holistic healing. “Those who accepted the defendant’s teachings misread Mrs. Carr-Gomm’s medical crisis as part of the healing process,” Atkinson clarified, highlighting the troubling environment that surrounded the case.