UPDATE 11/10/14
On 10th October 2014, Denton lost his appeal against his conviction. He said he is now bankrupt and has no means of paying the £7,000 in fines and costs.
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Live Blood Analysis quack Errol Denton was handed a £19,000* court bill today.
As reported here:
WESTMINSTER; WOODFORD GREEN, ESSEX A Harley Street practitioner who claimed he could cure cancer and HIV with ‘lifestyle changes and herbs’ was handed a £19,000 court bill today (thurs). Errol Denton also advised women not to wear bras as a tip for fending off ‘acidity’ in the breasts. He used his personal twitter account to boast, ‘Cancer, diabetes, HIV, etc etc, all curable without the big pharmaceuticals.’ Denton’s website, livebloodtest.com, advertises a form of blood test, involving ‘a very powerful microscope’, used to detect ‘imbalances’.
Denton had been investigated by Westminster Trading Standards under the Cancer Act (1939) following complaints by members of the public.
During his court appearance in December 2013, Denton represented himself and at first refused to confirm his name:
I’m not ‘Mr’ Errol Denton. I’m Errol of the Denton family, not ‘Mr’, the corporate fiction. I am a living soul, I have inalienable rights. I am here by special invitation.
He finally relented as the judge demanded he sit in the public gallery and security guards arrived. Denton was denying nine breaches of the Cancer Act.
I’m hoping further details of today’s court appearance will soon emerge.
UPDATE (20/03/14 17:45)
Denton, who did not attend court and was not represented, was ordered to pay a total of £19,101 in fines and prosecution costs at Westminster Magistrates Court.
He was found guilty of nine offences after a trial, a rare prosecution under The Cancer Act 1939, which prohibits advertisements offering to treat or to cure cancer.
UPDATE (21/03/14)
East London and West Essex Guardian series reported the story, including a quote from Sue Jones, Westminster City Council Trading Standards manager:
Sadly, the internet is littered with websites that mislead and misinform. However, to give anyone diagnosed with cancer false hope of a simple cure-all is in a twisted class of its own. To promote and advertise that deception is simply immoral and, as Mr Denton has found out, illegal.
The Jersey Evening Post also reported the story, mentioning that:
Westminster Magistrates’ Court ordered Denton, who was absent after claiming he had been injured in a fall, to pay a total fine of £9,000, costs of £9,821 and a victim surcharge of £100.
UPDATE (26/03/14)
This was covered today on BBC Radio 4’s You & Yours (from 37 minutes in, here, transcribed here).
Chris Jolly of Westminster Trading Standards said:
We will be contacting Mr Denton to instruct him to remove the offending material and if he doesn’t, further action will take place.
Live Blood Analysis and Errol Denton have been discussed on You & Yours before, in March 2013 and in March 2012.
UPDATE (03/04/14)
Duped by the ‘blood analyst’ who says he can cure cancer Robert Mendick, The Telegraph, 30/03/14
Skeptics v. Error Denton Guy Chapman, Guy Chapman’s Blahg, 02/04/14
* Clarification – According to this tweet, Denton was fined £9000. The linked report said he was handed a £19000 court bill. I have changed the title of this post to reflect this.
Further reading
Errol of the Denton family is quacking in court Sharon Hill, Doubtful News, 12/12/13
Harley Street practitioner claimed he could cure cancer and HIV with lifestyle changes and herbs, court hears The Telegraph, 11/12/13
Harley Street expert ‘told women to give up bras’: Doctor boasted he could cure HIV and cancer with ‘lifestyle changes and herbs’ MailOnline, 11/12/13
Operation Quackdown » Errol Denton Guy Chapman, Guy Chapman’s Blahg
All posts tagged “Errol Denton” Josephine Jones
Josephine Jones 
Excellent news. Congratulations to Errol of the family Denton. A well merited award there. No-one can say he did it half-heartedly. Some might say the financial award doesn’t accurately reflect Denton’s efforts and the the Court might have been a little more generous by, say, adding another zero before the decimal point. Still, it’s a start.
Errol of the family Denton? Crank magnetism writ large.
Thank God!! I am soooooo angry to hear about all the different ways in which Errol Denton scammed, manipulated and terrified people by claiming to have treatment for cancer. I went for a liveblood analysis in May 2011 after purchasing a voucher on Groupon. He told me after analysing my blood that it was toxic; that I had indicators for diabetes and get this; that “he only saw blood like mine in cancer patients”. I was terrified, I had just had a biopsy on my bowel and was awaiting the results (which later turned out to be IBS). I rang my doctor in hysterics who made me an emergency appointment as I was sooooooooo terrified. He is a disgrace to the human race. I still question whether the doctors are missing something as he seemed so plausible. I wish I had known about this case going to court as I would defo have been willing to go to court as a witness. I am wondering if I can sue him retrospectively!! I am so angry about the damage this creep has caused to people’s lives!! Wendy
Forgot to mention that he recommended that I purchase his herbal remedies to clean my blood and eradicate what he believe to be cancer cells!!
Heard this – and Wendy – on today’s World at One. Seems a pretty paltry penalty. When does contravention of Trading Standards, the ASA and The Cancer Act become criminal fraud?
I can’t really answer that, but it doesn’t look like this will be the end of it. I heard the report – Chris Jolly from Westminster Trading Standards said that if Denton doesn’t remove the offending material then further action will be taken. It’s available to listen online and I’ve added an update and link.
I contacted the prosecutor Alexandra Ward’s office & Trading Standards for Westminster but no response 😦
Nice news…..Congratulations to Errol of the family Denton.
Had the same blood tests was told how bad my blood was I bought the herbs:(
Hi Mary, thanks for getting in touch. I’m sorry to hear that you have had this experience. As you may have seen, the test isn’t effective and advertisers should not be making any claims for it. If you feel that you have been misled, you may wish to contact Citizens Advice: http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/consumer_e/consumer_protection_for_the_consumer_e/consumer_citizens_advice_consumer_service_e/if_you_need_more_help.htm. They will be able to refer the complaint on to Trading Standards.
If you saw Errol Denton, then you could contact Westminster Trading Standards directly, https://www.westminster.gov.uk/contact-trading-standards, who should be able to help you. As I understand it, during his failed appeal last October, Denton told the court that he had closed down his business and is bankrupt (see http://www.itv.com/news/london/2014-10-10/bogus-doctor-claimed-he-could-cure-cancer-using-herbs-avocado-and-grape-seeds/). If he is still in business and still making problematic claims, Trading Standards may be interested to hear about it.
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