Trainees die after a fast of several weeks, the organizer and his son indicted

The case broke out in 2021 after the death of a 44-year-old woman who had taken a water fasting course. Since the opening of this investigation, other victims have been identified. A naturopath has been indicted. He is based in Saint-Julien-des-Landes, in Vendée.

On his Youtube channel, Eric Gandon explains that he is a naturopath and has been fasting accompaniment since 2012. He would have acquired the conviction that the diseases from which he himself suffered were due to poor diet.

He would thus have treated by fasting his migraines, his mycosis, his bad breath, sleep problems…

“One day, when I discovered fasting, my health improved radically” he says.

After three minutes, the video drifts to a mind-blowing declaration: during an internship, Eric Gandon would have discovered that it is possible to no longer feed on physical foods but on… light.

The man admits that he did not succeed but came back from this experience convinced of the benefit of long fasts. “We fasted for more than 21 days” he said.

It was after this experience, says Eric Gandon, that he decided to “put something in place to accompany the fast”.

The man also says he was very interested in naturopathy but does not mention any recognized training or diploma. He also talks about esotericism, numerology.

Eric Gandon therefore began to organize “fasting seminars”. And it was during one of these “seminars” that a tragedy has happened. It was August 12, 2021, uA 44-year-old woman died during a water fasting course at the Château de Brou, in Noyant-de-Touraine in Indre-et-Loire, south of Tours. Workshop organized by Eric Gandon.

At the time, one of the trainees, Franck (assumed name), had joined the editorial staff of France 3 to denounce the conditions under which these courses were organized.

“We were a group of 25 people, some with autoimmune diseases, cancers, these people were there hoping to be saved” testified Frank.

This trainee did not criticize the practice of fasting but the conditions in which he had lived this internship, at the Château de Brou.

“None of the organizers comes to hear from us if we don’t go to the daily update, or if we don’t send an email. And when we end up coming back and explaining that we’ve been sick, that we’re trying to understand, they explain to us that it’s us who haven’t been able to let go of our emotions, when it’s frankly a physical ailment”.

Franck says he had the feeling of being “abandoned” by the course organizer.

“We are exhausted from fasting, he said in August 2021. There is the group effect that makes us agree with the opinion of others, the costs incurred (3200 € for four weeks) also count, we are made to sign a discharge against any request for reimbursement in the event of abandonment. Even if we are in great pain, we persist”.

Despite the death of a trainee, Eric Gandon had continued his activity.

But the investigation opened at that time has since led to the identification of other victims according to the Tours prosecutor’s office, quoted by AFP.

A complaint was thus filed following the death of a man in his sixties, who died on July 18, 2020, a month after having participated in an organized internship, this time in Vendée while he was suffering. terminal cancer.

Still according to the Tours prosecutor’s office, another complaint concerns the death, in March 2022, of a young woman who followed a fast organized by Eric Gandon while suffering from liver cancer and was out of treatment.

Two other complaints were filed by participants in the course organized in the summer of 2021.

Eric Gandon, 58, was indicted on counts of manslaughter, abuse of weakness, endangering the lives of others and illegal exercise of the professions of doctor and pharmacist.

Following this indictment which was served on him this Thursday, January 12, Eric Gandon was imprisoned.

His 25-year-old son is also implicated. In particular, he promoted internships on the Youtube channel mentioned above. He was indicted for illegal practice of the professions of doctor and pharmacist.

The young man was placed under judicial control with a ban on exercising any activity related to fasting and naturopathy.

The two accused men deny the charges against them.