LONDON: An alternative healer was on Friday found guilty of the manslaughter by gross negligence of a diabetic woman who died from medical complications at a “slapping therapy” workshop in the UK.

Hongchi Xiao, 60, from Cloudbreak, California, was convicted following a trial at a court in southern England.

He was charged in November following the death of Danielle Carr-Gomm, 71, who was taking part in a session at a hotel to help her diabetes in October 2016. The pensioner died at a “paida lajin” workshop, which involves patients being slapped or slapping themselves repeatedly.

Prosecutors told the court the alternative healer breached his duty of care towards Carr-Gomm by failing to take reasonable steps to ensure medical assistance when she was suffering from a “medical crisis”, namely ketoacidosis. Diabetic ketoacidosis is a serious condition that can happen in people with diabetes due to a lack of insulin.

Xiao, who was born in China, was extradited to the UK from Australia. Carr-Gomm, who was described by her family as an avid follower of alternative therapies, was born in France and moved to the UK at the age of 21.

She was diagnosed with diabetes in 1999 but struggled to inject insulin because of a fear of needles.

The head of the Crown Prosecution 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”.

“Hongchi Xiao was the man in charge, yet he failed to respond to Mrs Carr-Gomm’s worsening condition with tragic consequences”.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2024