Slapping therapist jailed over death 'released early'
Hongchi Xiao, an alternative healer convicted of manslaughter in the death of a diabetic woman, has been released from prison after serving only 18 months of a 10-year sentence. He has reportedly been deported to the United States under a facilitated return scheme for foreign offenders.
Why it matters
The case highlights ongoing debates regarding the regulation of alternative medicine and the complexities of international prisoner transfer and early release policies.
Image source, Wiltshire Police Image caption, Hongchi Xiao led workshops that encouraged people to slap themselves to rid themselves of "poisonous waste"
An alternative healer jailed over the death of a woman at one of his workshops has been released from prison just 18 months into a 10-year sentence, it is understood.
Hongchi Xiao, 63, from California, was convicted and sentenced in 2024 for the manslaughter by gross negligence of 71-year-old Danielle Carr-Gomm in 2016.
Carr-Gomm, who was diabetic, died while taking part in a therapy event in Wiltshire, which involved people being slapped or slapping themselves repeatedly.
On Friday, during a Court of Appeal hearing where an application to overturn his conviction was quashed, it emerged Xiao had been returned to the US and was believed to no longer be in custody. The BBC has approached the Ministry of Justice for comment.
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