A Harley Street practitioner who claimed he could cure cancer and HIV with ‘lifestyle changes and herbs’ was fined £19,000 yesterday.

Errol Denton, of St Barnabas Road in Woodford Green, was tried on nine counts of breaching the Cancer Act 1939, which bans advertisements offering to treat or cure cancer.

He was fined £1,000 for each offence and ordered to pay £9,821 in costs at Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

Sue Jones, Westminster City Council Trading Standards manager, said: “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.”

Denton, whose date of birth is unknown, also falsely advised women not to wear bras to fend off ‘acidity’ in the breasts which could cause cancer.

He had used his personal Twitter account to claim “cancer, diabetes, HIV, etc etc, all curable without the big pharmaceuticals”.

His website, livebloodtest.com, advertises a form of blood test involving a “very powerful microscope” which detects “imbalances”.

One article on his website claimed: “I have advised women for years not to wear bras. When they return for a blood test, the results show a reduction of acidity in the breast area,” the court heard.

The website also said: “Wake up to the fact that cancer is a disease caused by lifestyle and as such is curable by lifestyle changes and herbs.

"Natural cancer cures are being suppressed in order to cull population growth."

Denton claimed various websites bearing his name are run by a company based in Dubai.

“My representation has been damaged by internet agitators,” he claimed.

“They are the ones who made the complaint. They are sponsored by the pharmaceutical companies.”