NSW spiritual healer suing for defamation
SYDNEY: A NSW spiritual healer suing an exclient for defamation has told a court that most people have lived at least 2300 lives and he is the reincarnation of Leonardo da Vinci.
Serge Isaac Benhayon yesterday testified that he received information about past lives by accessing the ‘‘ageless wisdom‘‘, and he was a female author in his most recent former life.
The 54yearold former tennis coach said he had not counted all his lives but he had gone back as far as necessary — about 10,000 years — to learn what he needed to do in the present.
The spiritual healer is suing Esther Mary Rockett for defamation over a 2014 blog post, two comments she later made on the post and 14 tweets.
Benhayon denied under crossexamination by Tom Molomby SC that he was concocting his understanding of past lives as he went along, and said it was energetically confirmed to him that he was Leonardo in a past life.
The jury has heard Benhayon founded Universal Medicine in northern NSW and was a teacher and practitioner of the business, which ran seminars, healing courses and retreats.
His barrister contended Rock ett’s blog contained defamatory meanings, including that his client was the leader of a socially harmful cult, a sexual predator, had indecently touched her in the treatment room, preys on cancer patients and is delusional.
Rockett, a former acupuncturist, is fighting the case on the defences of truth and honest opinion.
Benhayon said he felt she had ‘‘basically crossed every line’’ and attempted to demolish his reputation.
He said Rockett’s claims definitely were not true.
The trial continues. — AAP