‘Healer’ jailed for killing woman, 71, who died during bizarre ‘slapping therapy workshop’

A “HEALER” who failed to get medical help for a dying woman during a bizarre “slapping therapy workshop” has been jailed.

Hongchi Xiao, 61, ran Paida Lajin therapy events in which patients would either be slapped or repeatedly slap themselves.

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Wiltshire Police

But Danielle Carr-Gomm, a 71-year-old diabetic woman, died after attending one of the workshops in Seend, Wiltshire, in October 2016.

It came after Xiao had previously been 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.

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.

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.

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 also claimed in his book that “doctors are brainwashed by drug producers to act as salespersons for their drugs”.

He was today jailed for 10 years with a five-year extended licence period.

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