A man in Britain has been sentenced to 10 years in jail, with his license period extended by five years, after advocating ‘slap therapy’ which led to the death of a woman at his treatment camp. The man, identified as Hongchi Xiao, 61, was convicted of the grossly negligent murder of 71-year-old Danielle Carr-Gomme during her week-long retreat at Cleve House in Seed, Wiltshire in October 2016 . Sentencing, Justice Robert Bright at Winchester Crown Court held Mr Jiao responsible for Ms Carr-Gomme’s “untimely death”, which was “a tragedy for her and all those who loved her”.
“You failed to call emergency medical care when you of all people knew that without insulin she was likely to die,” Mr Bright said, adding: “I consider you dangerous, even though you would most others. “do not share the characteristics of dangerous criminals.”
Ms Carr-Gomm had been diabetic since 1998 and had sought alternatives to her insulin medication because of her fear of needles. Mr. Xiao was promoted peda lajin (meaning “slap and pull”) therapy in which patients repeatedly slap themselves to expel “toxic waste” from the body. The technique is mentioned in Chinese medicine, but doctors say it has no scientific basis and often leaves patients injured, bleeding, or in some cases, dying.
As Ms. Carr-Gomm stopped taking insulin at Mr. Xiao’s insistence, her health deteriorated. By the third day, she was “vomiting, exhausted and in pain”, according to prosecutors. Despite his condition, Mr. Xiao did not call the emergency medical team.
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‘Complex investigation’
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Walker, of the Major Crime Investigation Team, said he was pleased the case had come to an end after an eight-year long legal battle.
“This has been an extremely complex investigation, almost eight years on from Danielle’s tragic death. The passage of time, which is beyond our control, has certainly added further challenges and complexities to the investigation, but I am pleased that Xiao has now been given a custodial sentence,” Mr Walker told reporters outside the court. Said.
Specifically, according to the defendant’s workshop in Sydney, Mr. Xiao was extradited to stand trial from Australia, where he was prosecuted for the death of a six-year-old boy who died after his parents withdrew his insulin medication. He died after. Throughout the trial, Mr. Xiao pleaded not guilty.
