Belle Gibson backs new health fad ahead of court judgment

UPDATE: CANCER fraud Belle Gibson has again failed to appear in court as a judge slammed her lies to charity groups. The ruling comes as the disgraced health blogger returns to spruiking cure-all diets.

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A FEDERAL Court judge has found Belle Gibson had “no rational or reasonable basis” to believe she had cancer and that the disgraced health blogger made deceptive and misleading representations surrounding donations to charities.

Gibson wasn’t in the Federal Court this morning as Justice Debbie Mortimer handed down her judgment and found most claims against Gibson were proved.

She found Gibson had made deceptive and misleading representations surrounding donations to charities, including One Girl and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.

“I have upheld most, but not all of the allegations,” Justice Mortimer said.

“Ms Gibson deliberately played on the genuine desire of members of the Australian community to help those less fortunate.

“Her ‘pitch’ overwhelmingly used groups likely to evoke sympathy because of their vulnerabilities — young girls, asylum seekers, sick children.”

Belle Gibson is now backing the Master Fast System online. Picture: Facebook.

“I hadn’t felt like this in my entire life.” Belle Gibson praises MFS with her online followers. Picture: Supplied.

In November 2014 Gibson consulted GP Dr Phillip Soffer and claimed that she was told for the first time that she did not have cancer.

“After learning of this, Ms Gibson did not inform Apple, Google or Penguin of that fact,” Justice Mortimer said.

“Ms Gibson explained this by saying that first, she would not update Apple on health or personal matters, and second, that she was in shock and denial at the time that she received the news that she was cleared of cancer diagnoses.”

She found Gibson’s continued claims that she had cancer after this time were “obviously false”.

Claims she had tried conventional treatment for her ‘cancer’ and turned to ‘healing herself’ when that failed — which was the premise of her book — were also false.

“Part of being convinced to buy what Ms Gibson was selling would involve accepting that she was not a hypochondriac or an irrational person, but an “ordinary” young woman who had suffered a tragic health event in her early life, who had nevertheless found a way to survive that event, and live with it,” the judge said.

The judge found Gibson had no reasonable basis to believe she had cancer when she was making public claims about it to promote her book and apps.

But there was not enough evidence to persuade the court that Gibson never believed she had cancer and had invented the story from the outset.

“Not all human beings are rational and reasonable all of the time. A finding of no genuine belief would involve a finding to the effect that Ms Gibson concocted a ruse from the start, in order to deceive consumers into purchasing her products, knowing that she was doing so on an entirely falsified basis,” she said.

“I would need more persuasive evidence than I have currently been directed to in order to make such a finding. It seems to me that, at least in some respects, it might be open to find that Ms Gibson suffered from a series of delusions about her health condition.”

Justice Mortimer said she was not satisfied that Gibson “did not really believe” she had cancer.

She has given Consumer Affairs Victoria until 4pm on March 22 to make further submissions on costs and penalty.

A penalty will be determined at a later date, she said.

Gibson, 25, once again failed to attend the court.

Disgraced wellness blogger Belle Gibson shopping at an organic food store in Northcote last year. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Disgraced wellness blogger Belle Gibson walks from the Reservoir Leisure Centre last year. Picture: Jake Nowakowski.

Meanwhile Gibson is back spruiking cure-all diets.

The Whole Pantry founder claims online to have taken on a new fad health cleansing program, the Master Fast System, with great success.

Gibson said she would “never get a filling again” with two cavities in her teeth starting to heal just 10 days into the program.

She also noted her “tonsils are about 30 per cent smaller” and “my hazel eyes are starting to change to more green with what seems to be blue underneath”.

She told other MFS followers on Facebook: “I hadn’t felt like this in my entire life.”

The young mother went on to say a “huge rope worm” was released from her body during an enema.

“It was coiled around itself like a spiral about 5 or more times ... I felt such a huge relief and was floating all day afterwards,” she said.

Gibson, who has since shut down her Facebook page, thanked the group.

“I love you all, with all I have in me, and all I have to give,” she wrote. “You have all saved my life and shown me what happiness and health looks and feels like.”

The Master Fast System states on its website “if you have been given a death sentence and without hope, let us teach you that everything is possible”.

It goes on to say: “Your situation can be turned around no matter what ‘they’ named your disease.”

Combining dry fasting with herbal tinctures, kidney tea, psyllium husk and activated charcoal, it says MFS gives people “the key to unlock all doors so your body can cleanse, regenerate and heal anything”.

Gibson has not responded to Herald Sun requests for comment.