ALL WITCHES IN UK PARTICULARLY LONDON AREA MUST READ

[EmeraldRose]

I turned on BBC news and there was a mention about a case where a 15 year old was tortured and drowned for being a witch and the murderer is going to court on Monday! This is the main part of an article that I found on Google about the witch trial.

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 15-year-old boy because they believed he was a witch.

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 on Monday.

Over four days, Kristy, who was visiting his sister with his siblings from France for Christmas, was tortured with metal bars, a chisel, a hammer and a pair of pliers in a "prolonged attack of unspeakable savagery and brutality", the court heard.

I don't mean to be over dramatic but all witches in London and the surrounding area please be cautious as you go about your practices as the police think this is a small part of a larger series of unreported witch trials. Blessings to all )O(

[The Judge]

Update, I have located additional information on BBC. Seems they have been foun guilty and sentenced. No word on sentence yet.

Here is the article from BBC.co.uk

Witchcraft murder: Couple guilty of Kristy Bamu killing

A couple have been found guilty of murdering a teenager they had accused of using witchcraft.

Eric Bikubi, 28, and Magalie Bamu, aged 29, from Newham, east London, had denied killing Bamu's 15-year-old brother Kristy.

Kristy drowned in a bath on Christmas Day in 2010, during torture to produce exorcism, an Old Bailey jury heard.

Bikubi had admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, but the prosecution rejected his plea.

The pair, who are both originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, were remanded in custody and are due to be sentenced on Monday.

'No comfort'

The family of the murdered teenager said they had "forgiven" his killers.

A family statement, read out in court by prosecutor Brian Altman QC, said: "We will never forget, but to put our lives back into sync we must forgive.

"We take no comfort in the verdicts - we have been robbed of a beloved son, a daughter, a son-in-law.


Magalie Bamu "stoked the fire" of Bikubi's violence, the court heard "Kristy died in unimaginable circumstances at the hands of people who he loved and trusted. People who we all loved and trusted."

Judge David Paget, who was presiding over his last trial before retiring, told the jury of seven women and five men the case was so "harrowing" he was exempting them from jury service for the rest of their lives.

'Begged to die'

"It is a case we will all remember," he told them. "Court staff will speak to you and offer help to you."

During the trial, jurors heard Kristy was in such pain after three days of attacks by Bikubi and Bamu, who used knives, sticks, metal bars and a hammer and chisel, that he "begged to die", before slipping under the water.

Kristy had been killed while he and his siblings were visiting Bikubi and Bamu for Christmas, the court was told.

During the stay, Bikubi turned on them, accusing them of bringing "kindoki" - or witchcraft - into his home.

He then beat all three of them and forced other children to join in with the attacks, the jury heard.


Bikubi argued he was mentally ill, but the prosecution rejected his plea But it was Kristy who became the focus of the defendant's attention, the prosecution said.

Bamu and football coach Bikubi believed he had cast spells on another child in the family, the Old Bailey heard.

Kristy had refused to admit to sorcery and witchcraft and his punishments, in a "deliverance" ceremony, became more horrendous until he admitted to being a sorcerer.

The defence had argued Bikubi was mentally ill when he carried out the killing, with a scan of his brain showing lesions which "probably contributed to an abnormal mental state".

'Unimaginable violence'

However, the prosecution had rejected this as a plea to reduce the charge against him.

During her defence, Magalie Bamu told the jury Bikubi had forced her to join in the attack on the children.

But the court heard there was ample evidence to show she hit Kristy and "stoked the fire of violence" Bikubi had embarked on in the flat.

Outside court, chief crown prosecutor Jenny Hopkins said Bikubi "knew exactly what he was doing".



Jenny Hopkins of the Crown Prosecution Service, said Bikubi "inflicted violence on an unimaginable scale"
"His actions were nothing short of torture and he inflicted on the victims violence on an unimaginable scale," she said.

"It has also been proven that his accomplice - Magalie Bamu - acted of her own accord.

"She willingly subjected her 15-year-old brother to extreme violence."

Met Det Supt Terry Sharpe said: "Child abuse in any form, including that based on a belief in witchcraft or spirit possession, is a horrific crime which is condemned by people of all cultures, communities and faith, and is never acceptable in any circumstances."

Kristy's family said they hoped comfort could be drawn from his death through raising awareness "of the plight of children accused of witchcraft or spirit possession and promote the need to safeguard children's rights".


And this is from "The Sun"

'Witch boy' pair found guilty of his murder

Sickening ... Magalie Bamu and Eric Bikubi murdered Kristy, 15BY STAFF REPORTER Published: Today at 14:31 A COUPLE are facing life sentences today after being found guilty of murdering a teenage boy they accused of witchcraft.
52 comments Kristy Bamu, 15, was tortured and drowned in a bath on Christmas Day 2010 by his sister Magalie and her partner Eric Bikubi.

They believed he had cast spells on another child in the family, the Old Bailey heard.



Murdered ... Kristy was tortured to death
Football coach Bikubi, 28, and Magalie, 29, of Newham, East London, denied murder but were found guilty.

They were remanded in custody to be sentenced on Monday.

Kristy was in such pain after three days of being attacked with knives, sticks, metal bars, and a hammer and chisel that he "begged to die" before slipping under the water.

He had refused to admit to sorcery and witchcraft and his punishments in a "deliverance" ceremony became more horrendous.

He had come to London with his two brothers and two sisters from their home in Paris to visit Magalie during the Christmas holiday in 2010.

But Bikubi turned on them, accusing them of bringing kindoki — or voodoo — into his home.

He forced them to pray for deliverance for three days and nights and deprived them of food and water.


Video: 'Witch' murder pair guilty
ERIC BIKUBI and partner Magalie Bamu convicted of barbaric killing of boy
Sky News

The sisters, aged 20 and 11, were beaten along with Kristy, but escaped further attacks after "confessing" to being witches.

Kristy was singled out after wetting his pants. He was struck in the mouth with a heavy bar and hammer, knocking out his teeth.

Ceramic floor tiles and bottles were smashed on his head.

The terrified siblings, who also included a 13-year-old boy and an autistic brother aged 22, were made to join in the torture.

At one point, Bikubi told the youngsters to jump out of the window to see if they could fly, the court heard.



Filthy ... flat belonging to Magalie Bamu and her partner Eric Bikubi
They looked to their older sister to save them, but instead Magalie encouraged Bikubi and beat Kristy until he also confessed to witchcraft.

Sister Kelly, now 21, broke down several times in court as she relived the terror.

She said: "They started talking about kindoki, witchcraft and this and that.

"It was as if they were obsessed by witchcraft and then it became absolutely unbearable.

"They asked if we were witches. I repeated again and again and again that we were not witches.


Video: 'Witch boy' trial statements
REACTION from Met's Det Supt Terry Sharpe and CPS's Jenny Hopkins
Sky News

"I did not know what was going on in their minds. They decided we had come there to kill them."

Kelly added: "Kristy asked for forgiveness. He asked again and again.


"Magalie did absolutely nothing. She didn't give a damn. She said we deserved it."

Calling Magalie "an idiot", Kelly said: "I am sure she still believes even to this day that we are witches.

"I have no pity for her. She had no pity for us."



Artist's drawing ... Eric Bikubi and Magalie Bamu in court
At the end of their ordeal, the victims were all placed in the bath to be hosed down with cold water.

Brian Altman QC, prosecuting, said: "It was only when he realised that Kristy was not moving that Eric Bikubi stopped what he was doing and pulled him from the water. By then it was too late."

Kristy had 130 separate injuries and died from a combination of being beaten and drowning.

Paramedics called to the eighth-floor flat tried to save Kristy but he was already dead.

In the blood-spattered living room, police found Kristy's brothers and sisters.

Mr Altman said: "All were standing in the living room, hysterical, terrified and soaking wet."

Items found in the flat had been used as "weapons of torture".


Video: 'Witch boy' case: The background
IN Kinshasa, children are routinely accused of 'Kindoki' - or witchcraft
Sky News

He said: "In a staggering act of depravity and cruelty, they both forced the others to take part in the assaults upon Kristy.

"The children had no option other than to do as they were told, or risk the same violence to themselves.

"As Kristy's injuries became ever more severe, he even pleaded to be allowed to die.

"Eventually Bikubi took him into the bathroom, put him in the bath and started to run the water.

"Kristy was just too badly injured and exhausted to resist or to keep his head above the water.

"Kristy had been the victim of a prolonged attack of unspeakable savagery and brutality.



Chaos ... sofas are covered in mess and curtains are smeared in what looks like blood
Centra
"Kristy was killed in the name of witchcraft. It is hard to believe in this day and age anyone can believe someone was practising witchcraft."

Several calls were made during their four-day ordeal to the children's parents in Paris, but they did not realise what was happening.

Mr Altman added: "Mr Bamu had sent his children on holiday, not to a torture chamber."

Two years before, family friend Naomi Ilonga, 19, was made to cut off her long hair by the couple to "release witchcraft" after being caught biting her nails.

The jury was told that in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the defendants were originally from, witchcraft was practised in Christian churches.



Torture ... blood-spattered bathroom tiles found in flat where Kristy Bamu was murdered
But out of the church's control "it may take on a feral and indeed evil character, as we suggest it did here", Mr Altman added.

Bikubi admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility caused by brain damage, but this was rejected.

He also pleaded guilty to two counts of causing actual bodily harm to the girls. Magalie denied the assaults.

Detective Inspector Paul Maddock said later: "It's an almost unprecedented scenario where siblings are murdering another sibling.

"The family have been very positive, they've pulled together remarkably well.

"They were more than willing to give evidence and make sure the perpetrators were dealt with appropriately."

Scotland Yard has investigated 83 cases involving abuse resulting from ritualistic or faith-based beliefs, and brought 17 prosecutions, over the last ten years.

[The Judge]

Both articles can be read at these links:
The Sun
BBC

As an aside to this. Given the scenario I am by no way condoning these actions. However, I would ask that everyone understand that certain people, cultures, and areas still condemn witchcraft. It should be noted that the pair were originally from the Congo. I can't say that the Government of the Congo would ever agree with these actions, but some places remain set in older ways. Even in the US there are some places where it would be dangerous to be a witch. These actions are fueled by ignorance and fear, as well as old teachings.

There are still some pastors around that preach the passage "Thou shalt suffer no witch to live" (Not sure which book, chapter, or verse). They do so heedless to that fact that it was a translation error from ancient Greek. The church is not at fault here thou, nor is the government of any country related to the incedent. These were the actions of two misinformed and ignorant people. They will be punished for their actions and hopefully this will deter some other people from doing the same.