Police and groups representing African communities have warned that
ritualised abuse of children branded as witches is an under-reported and
hidden crime in the UK, as a man and woman were convicted of murdering a
boy (15) because they believed he was a witch.
A report in
The Guardian says that Eric
Bikubi and Magalie Bamu, both 28, murdered Magalie's brother Kristy Bamu
in their east London flat after violently abusing him for several days
because they believed he was possessed by evil spirits. Bikubi and Bamu
also accused two of the teenager's sisters of witchcraft and were found
guilty of causing actual bodily harm after abusing them for several
days. The pair will be sentenced today (Monday). Speaking outside the
Old Bailey, Detective Superintendent Terry Sharpe said the Met police
had done a great deal of work to understand and deal with belief-based
child abuse. 'However, this is a hidden and under-reported crime and
therefore difficult to deal with in terms of protecting potential
victims from harm,' he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment