A father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced in Coventry Crown Court, was jailed for 8 years for torturing his own daughter. His partner, who watched the torture, was sentenced for 4 years.
Why did this legally protected man torture his own daughter? He believed she was a witch. She would sometimes talk to herself and he felt he couldn’t always ‘get through to her’.
The girl, who also can’t be named but who is under 16 years old, was beaten with a wooden stick. Her father would stuff cloth into her mouth to prevent her from screaming. Her hands and feet were burned with candle wax and drippings from a melting plastic bag.
The regular churchgoer forced his daughter to drink olive oil, whacked her legs with a cable and stamped on her head before banging it against the wall in an effort to rid of her evil spirits.
The man told the court that he believed his daughter had the power to send him to sleep. The judge refused requests to have the man sent for psychiatric testing.
In Pure Spirit
Isn’t this another horrible story – is religion to blame for this one? Is there something about religion-gone-wrong that can bring out the worst in human nature or will mankind use any handy focus?
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