15 year old boy tortured and killed for being a witch [UK]

This is one of the most horrendous stories I have read in a long time. I'm really disturbed after reading about this poor kid.

I hope they never get out of prison

A couple were today convicted of murdering a 15-year-old boy who was tortured and drowned for being a witch.
Kristy Bamu, 15, was killed by his sister Magalie, 29, and her partner Eric Bikubi, 28.

He died in a bath at their tower block flat in Newham, east London, on Christmas Day 2010 after days of being abused.
He had come to London from Paris with his two brothers and two sisters to spend the festive season with Magalie.
But things turned sour when the couple, who were said to be obsessed with witchcraft known as kindoki in their native Democratic Republic of Congo, accused him of putting spells on a younger child.

Football coach Bikubi and Magalie were found guilty of murder at the Old Bailey and will be sentenced on Monday.
Judge David Paget told the jury of seven women and five men that the case was so "harrowing" he was exempting them from jury service for the rest of their lives. "It is a case we will all remember," he told them. "Court staff will speak to you and offer help to you."

Kristy's family was not in London for the verdicts but a statement was read from his father, Pierre.
He said: "Kristy died in unimaginable circumstances at the hands of people he loved and trusted - people we all loved and trusted.
"I feel betrayed. How could they accuse, judge and sentence?
"To know that Kristy's own sister, Magalie, did nothing to save him makes the pain that much worse."

Detectives said other children in Britain had been subjected to terrible ordeals after being accused of witchcraft.

The court heard that Kristy was in such pain after three days of fasting and being attacked that he "begged to die" before slipping under the water.
He had been struck with knives, sticks, metal bars, and a hammer and a chisel.
After he refused to admit to sorcery and witchcraft, his punishments in a "deliverance" ceremony became more horrendous.
Bikubi forced them to pray for deliverance for three days and nights and deprived them of food and water.

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 and a pair of pliers used to twist his ear.

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.
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: "It was as if they were obsessed by witchcraft and then it became absolutely unbearable.
"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.
"I am sure she still believes even to this day that we are witches."

At the end of their ordeal, the brothers and sisters were all placed in the bath to be hosed down in cold water with a shower head.
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.
Mr Altman said: "In a staggering act of depravity and cruelty, they both forced the others to take part in the assaults upon
Kristy.
"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 was killed in the name of witchcraft. It is hard to believe in this day and age anyone can believe someone was practising witchcraft."
The jury was told that in the DRC, witchcraft was practised in Christian churches but could become "evil" when out of the church's control.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0301/newham.html

SEPT 23 1989

What can you say after reading that?:(

SEPT 23 1989

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

What can you say after reading that?:(

I know
I probably shouldn't have even bothered with the thread. I just feel sick.

smash

I thought a male witch was a warlock?

charlietheminxx

I am actually lost for words.

blaze1

Saw this yesterday, absolultly disgusting story.

Bring back hanging

blatantrereg

more here including pics of the convicts.

Apparently witchcraft-related beatings are common enough in England, and becoming moreso.

I'm pretty sure Bikubu is insane.

In his homeland of the Democratic Republic of Congo, more than 20,000 children are forced to live homeless on the streets of the capital Kinshasa because they have been accused of sorcery.

But after the conviction of his site Magalie Bamu, 29 and her boyfriend Eric Bikubi, 28, for the 15-year-old's murder, experts warned that misguided belief in withcraft now posed a greater threat to children in Britain than those in Africa.

Adrift from the restraining force of their communities, there is little to stop young migrant Africans living in London letting their beliefs in sorcery and exorcism running out of control - with potentially murderous ends.

Yesterday the Metropolitan Police said it had investigated 83 “faith-based” child abuse cases involving witchcraft in the last ten years.

The authorities in the UK first became aware of the problem in 2000 following the torture and murder of Victoria Climbie, who was tied up, hit with bike chains and attacked with lighted cigarettes by her aunt and her boyfriend, who believed she was possessed.

Since then the number of cases being investigated has risen on an almost annual basis.

Yet experts believe what is being reported it only the tip of the iceberg and the reality is that even where communities are aware of abuse going on, such as children being beaten, starved, burnt, blindfolded or having chilli rubbed in their eyes, they are content to ignore it.

Witchcraft, with its close links to Christian churches in Africa, is seen by extremists of a natural extension to the religion, and has followed African Communities here. Whilst the practise is centuries old, the accusing of children of witchcraft is thought to be a modern phenomena, first becoming common in the mid-1990s.

Until then, it was believed that children could receive witchcraft but they would be have its full power until they reached adulthood. That has changed, and increasingly relatives believe that the children are 'possessed' and the torture is carried out as a form of exorcism.

With the rise in the UK of unregulated churches preaching fundamentalist views and endorsing witchcraft, has come an increase in the kind of horrific cases the Old Bailey has just heard.

Debbie Ariyo, the head of the charity Africans Unite Against Child Abuse (Afruca), said: “If you look at how fast new African churches have grown since 2005, it's quite astonishing.

“One of the key beliefs of these churches is in witches and exorcising them.

"Dozens of rogue churches don't want to change their practices. Small churches can be hidden away in a living room or a garage."

One of the problems for the authorities is trying to track the growth. Churches are set up public centres, including leisure centres and school halls, and "no-one knows what's going on," Miss Arivo said.

Other high profile cases in Britain over the 12 years include baby “Adam”, a young African boy whose torso was discovered in the Thames in 2001, and four-year-old Nusayba Hassam, whose mother was found praying over her body after removing her organs at their home in east London in 2010. She was later sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

Dr Richard Hoskins, an African studies expert who gave evidence in the Kristy Bamu trial and who has studied witchcraft for 25 years, said the scale of the problem is something the authorities need to admit before they can tackle it.

He said: “We're quite happy to talk about what is inappropriate belief when it comes to terrorism or paedophilia, but when it comes to fundamentalist religious belief affecting child protection, we don't seem to want to talk about it."

"What happened to Kristy is horrendous and scandalous. We've got to take action because I'd hate to think a child in our capital goes through anything like this ever again."

He added: “What happened in the flat was feral. It was the most ferocious onslaught.

“It's pretty inconceivable two people could do that for five days in Kinshasa - there is a community glue in place. But in London it is very easy to be anonymous and hidden."

Detectives said yesterday that child abuse involving witchcraft was “an under reported, hidden crime”

Det Supt Terry Sharpe, the Metroplitan Police’s lead on Project Violet, a team set up to tackle religious-based child abuse, said that whilst Met has dealt with 83 “faith-based” child abuse cases involving witchcraft in the last ten years, averaging about eight a year, it was a crime about which they needed to raise awareness.

“The intelligence from the community is that it’s far more prevalent than the reports we are getting,” he said. He warned, however, against stigmatising the Congolese community by assuming that “everybody believes in it or practices it.”

Bikubu was steeped in witchcraft. Born in the DRC in 1983, as a child he had “abnormal visions” and the threat of being affected has lived with him. He moved to Dagenham aged seven and as he grew believed that he was fighting an ongoing "battle against witchcraft", the court heard.

He began to pray intensely, researched kindoki on the internet and visited Nigerian pastors in north London. He told experts ahead of the trial that the “truth about witchcraft" would emerge during the case.

biko

Same happened in Sweden recently, although they're actually from Congo.

The father and step-mother of a 14-year-old girl from western Sweden were charged on Friday with repeatedly beating and burning the girl because they “thought she was a witch”, according to the prosecutor.
“According to the girl’s version of events she has been subjected to being locked up, has had her feet tied together, assault through being burned with a red-hot knife in a torture-like manner and other violent rites and exorcisms,” prosecutor Daniel Larsson wrote in a statement.
Along with the parents, a pastor from a small religious community in Malmö has been charged.
“There is a pastor in Malmö who is under suspicion but is currently abroad,” Larson wrote.
According to local paper Borås Tidning (BT), suspicions first surfaced in 2004 when an anonymous report to the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) claimed all was not right, but the agency opted not to pursue the matter at the time.

The prosecutor claims that the parents have shaved off the girl's hair and locked her up so that she couldn't infect her younger siblings with her “inherent evil”.

“My client hasn't been privy to anything like that. But there are others who are under suspicion and it is possible that they have. However, it isn't a criminal act to give someone a haircut,” Stenbäcken told TT.
He also denied that the step-mother had burned the girl with a red hot knife.
“There is no substance to those claims,” her lawyer said.
The woman has, however, admitted to some form of exorcism being performed.
“Yes, you could say that but that isn't a crime. That's religion and you're allowed to practice that,” said Stenbäcken. http://www.thelocal.se/39320/20120224/

summerskin

non-pc, but certain cultures are just not compatible with western culture. this is just sickening.

AeoNGriM

These people should be doused with petrol, set alight and left to burn.

pragmatic1

I hope they have a hard time in prison.

seamus

That's religion for ye

El Guapo!

Fukn hell! I think I'll stop reading these threads. After the period porridge one and now this!

blatantrereg

summerskin wrote: »

non-pc, but certain cultures are just not compatible with western culture. this is just sickening.

Utter bollocks tbh. A white guy repeatedly stabs someone whom he believes has been possessed by satan - white guy has schizophrenia. A black guy kills someone he believes is a witch - black guy's whole culture is to blame.

Dudess

blatantrereg wrote: »

summerskin wrote: »

non-pc, but certain cultures are just not compatible with western culture. this is just sickening.

Utter bollocks tbh. A white guy repeatedly stabs someone whom he believes has been possessed by satan - white guy has schizophrenia. A black guy kills someone he believes is a witch - black guy's whole culture is to blame.

While obviously it's idiotic to blame black Africans as a whole, the Congo is a spectacularly f'ucked up society, so in this case, I would deem it a fair speculation.

blatantrereg

Dudess wrote: »

While obviously it's idiotic to blame black Africans as a whole, the Congo is a spectacularly f'ucked up society, so in this case, I would deem it a fair speculation.

I'm sure it is a ****ed up society. But what if it's true that the problem is worse in London than in the Congo?:

experts warned that misguided belief in withcraft now posed a greater threat to children in Britain than those in Africa.

Adrift from the restraining force of their communities, there is little to stop young migrant Africans living in London letting their beliefs in sorcery and exorcism running out of control - with potentially murderous ends.

smash

blatantrereg wrote: »

A black guy kills someone he believes is a witch - black guy's whole culture is to blame.

The police should pretend to put a spell on him and see how he reacts.

Standard Toaster

Jayus....you couldn't make this stuff up.

pacquiao

blatantrereg wrote: »

Utter bollocks tbh. A white guy repeatedly stabs someone whom he believes has been possessed by satan - white guy has schizophrenia. A black guy kills someone he believes is a witch - black guy's whole culture is to blame.

More than 20,000 children are forced to live homeless on the streets of the capital Kinshasa because they have been accused of sorcery. Horrid story.

pacquiao

blatantrereg wrote: »

I'm sure it is a ****ed up society. But what if it's true that the problem is worse in London than in the Congo?:

I'd say don't take up a job in statistics.

blatantrereg

pacquiao wrote: »

More than 20,000 children are forced to live homeless on the streets of the capital Kinshasa because they have been accused of sorcery. Horrid story.

Yes how could you say people are civilised if their society allows homelessness or child abuse?
That would never happen here. Oh wait...
Darn it! and we haven't even had the excuse of being so poor.

blatantrereg

pacquiao wrote: »

I'd say don't take up a job in statistics.

You seem pretty good at thinking up statistics yourself, on the other hand. I gave a quote and a source for what I said. you just changed the font colour to red. Surely spending that time linking to a source might have been a better idea?

Gran Hermano

Sky News had a 30 minute special feature on it last night.
Some interesting footage of how the religion operates in DRC
http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16180411

Dudess

In the Congo, rape is a constant threat, small boys are forced to become killing machines. That is not civilised.

pacquiao

blatantrereg wrote: »

You seem pretty good at thinking up statistics yourself, on the other hand. I gave a quote and a source for what I said. you just changed the font colour to red. Surely spending that time linking to a source might have been a better idea?

the source was on the first page of this thread bud.

bfocusd

I know a few people who believe in voodoo, I've never openly heard them talk about witch craft, one is Congolese and the others are Nigerian, two in particular are from opposing tribes and don't make any contact or even say hello, that alone separates them, but they are Muslim not catholic.

One in particular is a huge believer of voodoo and visits some woman to take away bad stuff he's done or something like that, I think she's a witch doctor. But she tells him to extract his daemons he must impregnate a woman, he's 6 kids and will knock anyone up, they are all different women, he sees nothing wrong with it and continues to convince women to have his children, then walks away around the birth. I don't like him at all, he's off his rocker and is extremely manipulative.

The Congolese one moved here a long time ago after something happened at home, he was around 18 when he arrived and has no contact with any of his family and won't even speak their name. I never asked why but maybe it was something to do with witch craft?

It's all very weird and confusing, they see nothing wrong with what they are doing and believe it's right, regardless of who gets hurt in the process.

smash

Dudess wrote: »

In the Congo, rape is a constant threat, small boys are forced to become killing machines. That is not civilised.

It's a sick society over there. Completely backwards and there's an unwillingness by those in power to educate their people.

pacquiao

blatantrereg wrote: »

Yes how could you say people are civilised if their society allows homelessness or child abuse?
That would never happen here. Oh wait...
Darn it! and we haven't even had the excuse of being so poor.

Are you equating Ireland with the Congo? We don't have 20,000 children on the streets of Dublin. And if they're were, i doubt any level headed dub would think they were sorcerers, would they?

tmc86

absoulte animals, they should have to endure the same beatings and torture that they gave out but without the escape of death.

Standard Toaster

smash wrote: »

It's a sick society over there. Completely backwards and there's an unwillingness by those in power to educate their people.

They eat the poo poo.

blatantrereg

pacquiao wrote: »

the source was on the first page of this thread bud.

Oh I see. It was the very line before the bit I referred to (which you decided to dismiss) . Nice selective editing.

One in four Irish people have been sexually abused apparently. The catholic church was responsible for an awful lot of that happening to children, and for protecting those rersponsible. Yet the Catholic church still have a lot of control over Irish schools - including primary schools. Meanwhile, the government passes an "anti-blasphemy" law.

And like I said, we can't claim mitigation of extreme economic hardship, taken as a whole.

Anyway, I can see my suggestions that people shouldn't be massive racist hypocrites aren't too popular here, so I'll leave ye to it.

RachaelVO

Sweet Jesus, I'm sorry I read that.

I'm absolutely sickened, to the point I feel nauseous! That poor young lad, what a way to suffer, and at the hands of people who he trusted. They must have been just waiting for them to get their kicks!

I hope life in prison isn't kind to them! I know it's not the right answer, but after reading that, FCUK being PC!

smash

Anyone remember the story of the man caught shagging a goat and said he has hired a prostitute and she must have been a witch who transformed?

KilOit

1 less witch

RachaelVO

KilOit wrote: »

1 less witch

WHAT????

Are you for real?

Dudess

blatantrereg wrote: »

pacquiao wrote: »

the source was on the first page of this thread bud.

Oh I see. It was the very line before the bit I referred to (which you decided to dismiss) . Nice selective editing.

One in four Irish people have been sexually abused apparently. The catholic church was responsible for an awful lot of that happening to children, and for protecting those rersponsible. Yet the Catholic church still have a lot of control over Irish schools - including primary schools. Meanwhile, the government passes an "anti-blasphemy" law.

And like I said, we can't claim mitigation of extreme economic hardship, taken as a whole.

Anyway, I can see my suggestions that people shouldn't be massive racist hypocrites aren't too popular here, so I'll leave ye to it.

It isn't remotely racist to simply point out how f'ucked up a society is - so bad that its own people would criticise it. It's not hypocritical either - how are we responsible for what has happened to children via the church?

Ireland is obviously a far better place in which to live than the Congo - and you know it.

Duggy747

smash wrote: »

Anyone remember the story of the man caught shagging a goat and said he has hired a prostitute and she must have been a witch who transformed?

I remember the other story or priest in a village who was killed for being magical.

What I found hilarious out of that horrible story was that they chased out and accused the wife of turning into a snail and terrorising the village :pac:

Really archaic cultures in parts of Africa.

KilOit

RachaelVO wrote: »

WHAT????

Are you for real?

Of course I'm joking, the story is horrific. My humour spin is a way of coping. This is nothing new in places like Congo

RachaelVO

KilOit wrote: »

Of course I'm joking, the story is horrific. My humour spin is a way of coping. This is nothing new in places like Congo

OK then, I have a pretty broad based sense of humour, but I've been truly horrified and very sickened by that story so I just can't see jokes about it funny!

theg81der

Do you guys think this rubbish isn`t happening here? I have encountered it and it wasn`t the congo it was Nigerian here in Ireland. A Latvian woman married to a Nigerian man here was trying to kill herself because the Nigerian family of the man here were torturing her and her 12 year old daughter who had been sent to Nigeria because they thought they were under a spell/witches. Thats half an hour down the road from me, in a government asylum camp. I would be interested to see how prevalent it is, I would have concern that it is very prevalent and we will see similar cases here soon.

RachaelVO

theg81der wrote: »

Do you guys think this rubbish isn`t happening here? I have encountered it and it wasn`t the congo it was Nigerian here in Ireland. A Latvian woman married to a Nigerian man here was trying to kill herself because the Nigerian family of the man here were torturing her and her 12 year old daughter who had been sent to Nigeria because they thought they were under a spell/witches. Thats half an hour down the road from me, in a government asylum camp. I would be interested to see how prevalent it is, I would have concern that it is very prevalent and we will see similar cases here soon.

That's frightening and very accurate!

It's only a matter of time!

Doc Ruby

blatantrereg wrote: »

Oh I see. It was the very line before the bit I referred to (which you decided to dismiss) . Nice selective editing.

One in four Irish people have been sexually abused apparently. The catholic church was responsible for an awful lot of that happening to children, and for protecting those rersponsible. Yet the Catholic church still have a lot of control over Irish schools - including primary schools. Meanwhile, the government passes an "anti-blasphemy" law.

And like I said, we can't claim mitigation of extreme economic hardship, taken as a whole.

Anyway, I can see my suggestions that people shouldn't be massive racist hypocrites aren't too popular here, so I'll leave ye to it.

I swear, one of these days there'll be a post about how hitler was bad, and one of these people will pop out of the nearest cup of tea and say "ah but you know... Irish people wear black clothes too..."

smash

theg81der wrote: »

Do you guys think this rubbish isn`t happening here? I have encountered it and it wasn`t the congo it was Nigerian here in Ireland.

But that's as a result of their beliefs from the society they grew up in. It doesn't matter where they are, if they have those beliefs then they'll stick with them.

foxyboxer

blaze1 wrote: »

Saw this yesterday, absolultly disgusting story.

Bring back hanging

Burning at the Stake seems more appropriate somehow

You know how we in this country live in the 21st Century?
Reading this proves to me that some people and societies are still living with a pre 18th Century mentality.

Solair

It's absolutely crazy and I think they need to go away for a VERY long time and be made an example of to drive home the fact that this is not acceptable in the rational world.

There are horrendous things done in the name of religious belief / faith all over the world. That kind of torture went on in Europe in the past e.g. the Inquisition. There are still plenty of religious societies in the Middle East that seem to think it's quite normal to stone people to death for all sorts of reasons from being gay to being accused of adultery.

Religious excuses can be used for all sorts of totally inhumane and utterly unacceptable behaviour.

The sad reality is that people behave horrendously when they get into cult-type situations. It can happen around a religious ideology or even a political ideology.

I seriously think there's too much respect given to 'faith-based ....' problems.

If you torture and murder someone, it is utterly inexcusable and the punishment should not be in any way reduced because of faith / cultural background.

Given the depravity of the attack, you would really have to wonder if the two involved were sane too.

Tomk1

The BBC or C4 had a documentry on this about a year ago, with a reporter who went undercover.
I'm not sure what you call them, a minister or church leader, says that all the problems in someone's life is due to an evil spirit entering the body of a younger sibbling, and to fix all the problems/bad-luck in their family's life an exorism has to performed.

What of the person that convinced these two, that a member of her family was a witch?

Could we drop the them/us crap, superstition is part of every culture.

foxyboxer

Some cousins were/are belonged to a what can only be described as a religious christian sect here in Ireland. I started to read up on the organisation out of curiosity and came to the conclusion that it was quite simply a cult with all the group dynamics and quasi-brainwashing involved in a cult.

Months later, I confronted a cousin on the topic of it being a cult.

The conversation panned out as follows.

Me "I think your church is a bit of a cult isn't it?"
Cousin "What makes you say that?"
Me "Well I did a bit of research on the internet"
Cousin <angrily> "That's the Devil tempting you"

One can only resort to loud expletives when the counter argument is that!

theg81der

foxyboxer wrote: »

Some cousins were/are belonged to a what can only be described as a religious christian sect here in Ireland. I started to read up on the organisation out of curiosity and came to the conclusion that it was quite simply a cult with all the group dynamics and quasi-brainwashing involved in a cult.

I confronted a cousin on the topic of it being a cult.

The conversation panned out as follows.

Me "I think your church is a bit of a cult isn't it?"
Cousin "What makes you say that?"
Me "Well I dod a bit of research on the internet"
Cousin <angrily> "That's the Devil tempting you"

One can only resort to loud expletives when the counter argument is that!

I was actually just making this point to someone we were discussing this thread cause I showed it to them. Its like my granny - she has a pic of the pope up on front of her and no amount of convincing will make her believe that he is not gods embodiment here on earth, same with the priest even after all they did. What do you say when people are that brainwashed?!!

krudler

Dudess wrote: »

It isn't remotely racist to simply point out how f'ucked up a society is - so bad that its own people would criticise it. It's not hypocritical either - how are we responsible for what has happened to children via the church?

Ireland is obviously a far better place in which to live than the Congo - and you know it.

This really, theres an excellent channel 4 documentary about African child witches that would turn your stomach about how completely fcuked up those places are, and the people who convince ignorant villagers (thats not an insult) that someone who has a nice house is a witch, its like something from the dark ages, theres a horrific video on liveleak of a witch being stoned and burned to death in the middle of a street, with kids looking on as hysterical people smash rocks off her while shes lying there burnt to a cinder, animals is a perfectly apt description for these people

full_irish

Dudess wrote: »

Ireland is obviously a far better place in which to live than the Congo - and you know it.

To be jaysis you're right... I wouldn't be able to handle the heat at all!

stylie

Did he weigh the same as a duck ?




On a more serious note when I was in Saudi an african driver was being tried for being a witch. He apparently put a spell on his employeer/slave owner that made the slave owner rape his house maid and get her pregnant. Lots of Saudi's accuse the Afircans of witch craft when they want to blame shift.