In October 2016, while attending the event at Cleeve House in Seend, Wiltshire, Danielle Carr-Gomm was left “howling in pain” before she passed away.
Paida Lajin therapy, in which patients repeatedly slap themselves or each other, was encouraged throughout the session.
At Winchester Crown Court, Hongchi Xiao, a resident of Cloudbreak, California, is on trial for the alleged manslaughter of Ms. Carr-Gomm, a resident of Lewes, East Sussex, by gross negligence.
He refutes the accusation.
The prosecutor, Duncan Atkinson KC, informed the jury that Ms. Carr-Gomm had looked for alternatives to her insulin treatment due to her phobia of needles and vegetarianism.
According to Mr. Atkinson, the defendant, referred to as “Master Xiao” in the event program, had 30 “keen disciples” attending the session at Cleeve House.
He said everyone who attended the session signed a disclaimer form stating that the practice was not “meant for medical treatment” and that they only had Chinese tea during their several-day fast.
According to the prosecutor, Xiao “congratulated” Ms. Carr-Gomm on Monday, October 17, when she declared she had stopped taking her insulin.
According to Mr. Atkinson, one of the attendees saw that Ms. Carr-Gomm “was vomiting” on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he said, Ms. Carr-Gomm had not attended the workshop and was observed to be weak, exhausted, and vomiting.
