UNITED KINGDOM
London 24
‘Chilli rubbed in child’s eye to remove evil spirit’ say police as they launch witchcraft abuse summit
Alain Tolhurst
Allegations of child abuse linked to witchcraft in London including rape, assault and neglect are on the rise say police, who today launch a summit to tackle the issue.
In the past year 27 investigations have been launched into claims children have been force-fed unknown substances to rid them of evil spirits, dunked in a bath to wash away evil spirits, and that a pastor swung a child around and banged their head to drive out the devil.
A spokesman for the Met said previous calls have included one alleging chilli peppers were rubbed into a child’s eyes to remove the evil spirit.
And there have been claims of parents removing children from schools in London and taking them out of the country to attend an exorcism ceremony.
A number of horrific child killings have been linked to witchcraft-related beliefs, including the murder of 15-year-old Kristy Bamu, tortured and drowned by his sister and her boyfriend in 2010, and the death of Victoria Climbie.
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