A London court has sentenced 61-year-old Hongchi Xiao to ten years in prison for manslaughter by gross negligence. Xiao, an alternative healer, was found guilty in connection with the deaths of two individuals who participated in his controversial “slap therapy” workshops.
The practice, known as Paida Lajin, involves forceful slapping of the skin and stretching, often leaving participants with bruises and marks. Xiao claimed the therapy removed “poisonous waste” from the body.
One victim, 71-year-old diabetic Danielle Carr-Gomm, died in 2016 after attending one of Xiao’s workshops. According to reports, Carr-Gomm stopped taking her insulin at Xiao’s encouragement. “You congratulated [Carr-Gomm] when you found out she had stopped taking insulin,” Justice Luminous stated during Xiao’s sentencing.
The prosecutor in the case detailed Carr-Gomm’s deteriorating condition during the workshop: “By the third day of the workshop, Carr-Gomm was vomiting, tired and weak, and by the evening she was howling in pain and unable to respond to questions.”
Tragically, Carr-Gomm’s death was not the first linked to Xiao’s practices. In 2015,a six-year-old boy in Australia died after his parents stopped administering his insulin following Xiao’s instructions. Xiao was previously convicted of manslaughter in Sydney for the boy’s death.
Justice Bright expressed deep concern over Xiao’s unwavering belief in slap therapy, stating, “I beleive you will continue to practice it. There is a risk you will actively or tacitly encourage followers to reduce their medication.”
The judge added, “I’m concerned history may repeat itself and this presents a risk to the public. In this specific regard I consider you hazardous.”
Xiao has defended his practices, comparing himself to a political prisoner and asserting that slap therapy “is totally beyond the inventiveness of the media and the experts.”
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