A prominent vegan influencer with over 600,000 followers has been ordered to pay nearly £1,000 after falsely claiming to be a qualified osteopath while not registered with the professional regulator.
The Offence and Court Proceedings
Lily Iaschelcic, 30, admitted to describing herself as an osteopath despite not being registered with the General Osteopathic Council when she appeared at City of London Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. The court heard that concerns were raised in 2024 about her website, Osteopathic Health, which presented her as a qualified practitioner.
Prosecutor Elaine Freer revealed that Iaschelcic had previously been registered with the regulatory body, but her registration ended in January 2022 after she left the UK to study medicine in Georgia. The website continued to feature her as an osteopath and included a photograph that appeared to show her performing an osteopathic treatment.
Influencer Lifestyle and Defence
Iaschelcic maintains a substantial online presence where she documents her luxury travels to destinations including Santorini, Shanghai and South Korea. Her website remains linked in her social media bio, and she recently shared images from glamorous events including a stay at the Hilton Park Lane and a charity gala.
Speaking in her defence, Iaschelcic told magistrates she had graduated from the British College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2021 with a masters in osteopathic medicine and nutrition. She explained that she had "studied hard" to become a practitioner, often working long days from 9am to 7pm.
The influencer stated she established Osteopathic Health with a friend six months after graduating but claimed she "completely forgot" about the website after moving to Georgia to pursue medical studies.
Court's Verdict and Financial Penalty
Magistrate Colin Gregory acknowledged that Iaschelcic had some connection to osteopathy and had previously been registered, but emphasised the importance of protecting the public from unqualified practitioners. "The offence of describing yourself as an osteopath when you're not is there to protect the public," he stated, adding that it's "very important that people who do wrongly claim themselves with professional qualifications do get punished."
Iaschelcic pleaded guilty to one charge of calling herself an osteopath while unregistered in relation to her website. A second charge concerning an Instagram post was withdrawn.
The court ordered her to pay £957 in total, comprising a £623 fine, £249 surcharge and £85 towards prosecution costs. The magistrates noted her admission that the matter was an "oversight" and her expressed passion for helping others through medical studies.
