A ‘reformed’ ex-con and drug smuggler is running a £900 healing event to treat trauma and illness at a luxury Edinburgh hotel.
Critics say the two-day seminar hosted and promoted by Star Magic is a “sham” and could put seriously unwell people at risk.
Gerry Sargent, founder of Star Magic Healing, who was convicted of claiming he could cure cancer, charged nearly £900 for an event at the Sheraton Hotel in the city center and was involved in a car accident. He said that after that “encounter” he discovered his “talent” for healing. alien. ”
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This weekend’s event has been slammed by medical experts, who warn that self-proclaimed healers are a danger to the public, The Record reports.
The hotel’s healing event, in which participants will pay £555 for one six-hour workshop or £888 for two, will be held at Star Magic, where in a previous session Star Magic was seen putting his hands on people’s heads while Sgt. He claims to have sold out with video footage showing him trembling. Convulsions.
Professor Edzard Ernst, Britain’s first professor of alternative medicine, has warned people with serious illnesses to avoid their healers.
He said it was “no surprise” that “the worse the NHS provision becomes, the more desperate patients will consider healing or resorting to other forms of quackery”.
But he argued that no “energy field” of spiritual healing exists and has not been proven “beyond a placebo effect.” He added: “The danger is that seriously ill patients may believe the claims of their therapists and abandon treatments that are less effective for their symptoms, or receive treatments that are less severe.” ” he added.
Sargent said he is a “facilitator of empowering people to heal themselves” and “never encourages people to discontinue treatment.” He maintained that neither he nor his organization claimed to be able to cure cancer.
Under consumer protection law, it is illegal to falsely claim that a product “can treat a disease, malfunction, or deformity.” The Cancer Act restricts advertisements that offer cancer treatment or provide treatment advice.
Mr Sargent, from Cheltenham, was convicted under the act in 2017 after Trading Standards raised concerns about claims on his website that he could cure diseases such as cancer. .
He was fined £1,200 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £3,487.25 and a victim surcharge of £60, totaling £4,747.25.
His UK-based company was dissolved in the same year, according to Companies House.
However, he continues to offer healing sessions online as well as in countries including the United States. Services include a “DNA Upgrade” that uses “quantum physics” to “change your karmic blueprint” and release “blocks” that prevent clients from living their “most extraordinary lives.” Masu.
Although Star Magic’s website currently has a disclaimer, it does not allow for the use of testimonials from people who claim that Star Magic has eliminated cancer, cured Parkinson’s disease, or other life-threatening or limiting conditions. Several testimonials including:
Online private healing sessions with Sargent start from £1000, with an ‘investment’ of £1500 for an ’emergency’ session.
UK Healers, the professional body that regulates spiritual healers, estimates that there are around 12,000 to 18,000 people across the UK, and that 90 to 95 per cent do not charge for their services.
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A spokesperson for the organization confirmed that Sargent is not a member.
Sargent told investigators on the Ferret website that it was a “huge coincidence” that a stage 4 cancer patient who “did nothing but do our job” found that his “cancer simply disappeared.” He said there is a possibility.
“Whether someone is using allopathic therapy [mainstream] It has nothing to do with medicine or alternative medicine – healing, nutrition, breathing techniques, intermittent fasting, meditation, quality sleep, cold treatment, etc., he added. It’s positive and beautiful. One does not negate the other. ”
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The father-of-two, a sergeant who survived a road accident with his family in Romania, claimed that the woman he was traveling with died and that he witnessed her soul leaving her body.
An earlier ad on his website, “Energy Healing for Cancer Treatment,” said readers had arrived at “the place to find the best cancer treatments.”
We are proud of our uniquely developed treatment method [Sargeant]” had been “proven” to be an effective treatment for cancer.
