‘Witchcraft child abuse’ doesn’t prove existence of SRA

/ 28/01/2019

Not for the first time, we note that certain Hampstead SRA hoax pushers have latched onto a news story about child abuse connected to witchcraft and demonic possession. And as usual, those who think this story “proves” the false claims of Satanic ritual abuse in Hampstead have got hold of the wrong end of the stick.

Sharing a post from Brian Clare, Andy Devine comments, “‘Satanic Ritual (Abuse) Torture according to some doesn’t exist????? Tell That To the Hampstead Children!!”

The problem is, while the article in question is most definitely about child abuse, and the child abuse in question is related to belief in witchcraft and demonic possession, it has nothing to do with SRA, and even less to do with the Hampstead hoax.

According to the Birmingham Mail, the abuse in question arises in cases

…where the abuser believes a child is a witch, has been possessed by a spirit, demons or the devil, or has brought bad fortune into the home in other ways.

They can also include cases where fear of the supernatural is used to make children comply with being trafficked for domestic slavery or sexual exploitation.

Ironically, witchcraft-related child abuse is most likely to be perpetrated by religious fanatics, whether Christian, Muslim, or Hindu—as certain sects within these religions believe that evil spirits or demons can enter into the bodies of children, and that these demons must be driven out of the child via exorcisms which can include beatings, submersion in water to the point of drowning, and other forms of torture.

Alternatively, child victims may be terrorised by adults who claim to use witchcraft on them, in order to force them into compliance when being trafficked for domestic slavery or sexual exploitation.

The number of potential witchcraft abuse cases in the UK has risen from 1,460 in 2016/17 to 1,630 last year, according to the Birmingham Mail. Although it’s widespread, this form of child abuse generally remains hidden within families and communities, and its signs are not always obvious to outsiders.

High-profile cases include eight-year-old Victoria Climbié, tortured and murdered by her great-aunt and her boyfriend in 2000. A preacher from a neopentecostal church had allegedly claimed that the child was possessed. According to the pathologist who performed her post mortem examination, Climbié had been burnt with cigarettes, tied up for long periods of time, and hit with bicycle chains, hammers, and wires.

The Musa case

Those familiar with the dossier of Sabine McNeill and Belinda McKenzie will recall the case of the Musa children, who reported that their parents had subjected them to serious physical abuse during multiple attempts to exorcise “evil spirits”.

A Telegraph article at the time stated,

The Nigerian couple, who claimed their kids were possessed by evil spirits, beat them with brooms, hoovers and wires and even gave their baby a morphine overdose just days after her first birthday….

Sentencing them to seven years behind bars each Judge James Patrick described it as “shocking mistreatment” that they had tried to cover up with a “web of deception”.

In May 2016 we wrote:

According to the Musas’ eldest daughter, who dropped a letter out of her bedroom window in a last-ditch cry for help, “My mum is the worst mum ever because she can’t cope with five of us, her broken hand and being pregnant. She always leaves me out so I always starve and I am forced to work. If I don’t get enough house work done, I am beaten without mercy with the wooden end of a broom. I have scars all over me to prove it. I can’t stay here. I would like a new mum”.

She also stated that her father had dangled her by her feet down the stairwell of the house, tied her hands behind her back and her legs together “to get the devilish spirits out”. She and her siblings showed investigators stick-shaped bruises on their bodies, and spoke of being left alone for hours, sometimes days, without food.

Belinda, Sabine, Maurice Kirk, and Charlotte Ward all fought to have the Musa children returned to their abusive parents. Fortunately for the children, they failed.

However, we cannot help but note the irony in religious zealots like Andy Devine claiming that witchcraft-related child abuse somehow proves the existence of Satanic ritual abuse. On the contrary, this form of child abuse is likely to be perpetrated by people just like him.

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26 thoughts on “‘Witchcraft child abuse’ doesn’t prove existence of SRA”

    • John Hemming had every right to protect his reputation even though he dipped his toes into the polluted stream of SRA accusations.
      Sounds like this was ( sensibly ) settled by the defendants before a full on court case where the costs and damages could have destroyed them.
      It should be a warning to others. But it won’t be.
      I still think Parliament should consider a law of Criminal Libel in this internet age where people think it’s OK to just print outrageous claims based on no evidence.

      Liked by 3 people

      • I’d forgotten there used to be a criminal libel in the UK (rescinded by a law of 2009 Wikipedia tell me). FaceBook et al were in existence in 2009 but maybe not quite so many people used it (and other social media platforms) then.

        Like

        • To be honest, I’m not convinced by the argument. The state prosecuting people for saying things that may be objectionable to some is not something I’d want to see. For example, blasphemy was part of the old criminal libel law. I need to do more checking as I no longer keep notes on the old libel laws, but I think the maximum sentence was two years.

          Since 2009 we have had a beefing up of the Harassment and Stalking laws with up to a ten year sentence which applies to online as much as anywhere else. We have just had a significant prosecution under those laws. It’s not new (or old) laws we need, it’s a clarification of CPS guidelines of when to bring prosecutions.

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    • I believe sky News ran with that load of bollocks too, a couple of years ago, they filmed her talking about it while she was sitting on a bench. it was a shame that the people who encouraged her wearn`t in court too. They know who they are, but they keep peddling this shite and encouraging vulnerable adults, to make statements that are totally untrue.

      Liked by 2 people

  2. Yesterday here in Oz was ‘Australia Day’, a day somewhat mired in controversy now as it celebrates the arrival of Captain Cook “discovering’ the country (although the Dutch were here in the 1600s) and the decimation of the Indigenous community.

    But it does mean some fascinating radio programs and one I heard was by an Aboriginal writer being raised in a Maternal tribe ( way ahead of it’s time) in the Far North of QLD where women basically run the show.

    He described how as a child he was “passed around” to numerous women to be cared for who became “aunties” (a delightful term I hear Indigenous men & women using about the older females in their lives) when his mother was too busy and sometimes he even forget who his birth mother was as he had perhaps a dozen mothers who all treated him as their own.

    The point is that it demonstrates that although we Westerners are somewhat fixed in our family beliefs, others have survived for 1000s of years living in a different way and that “mother” can be any female who acts like a loving one which of course, 1000s of adopted children with testify to.

    The Musa case is interesting because it shows up a weird aspect of The Mob who invest almost Sainthood upon a birth mother no matter how awful and crazy she may be and detrimental to a child’s mental health. Is it perhaps something that happened in their own childhood where their own relationship with their parents was wanting?.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I think you are betraying your western-centric view here. My mother is from the asian sub-continent. We were brought up to call all adult age women family friends and remotely linked relatives “Auntie”.

      We were also taught to say thank you to bus drivers when getting off the bus, which I still do, but that is probably a digression too far!

      Liked by 2 people

      • Actually, growing up in the North of England, I also called most of my parents friends “Auntie” and “Uncle”. I also was brought up to thank bus drivers.

        Liked by 4 people

        • Yes I say “thank you” relentlessly and probably would say it to someone who mugged me. As for bus drivers, a few months ago I said “thank you” getting off the bus and I heard him say quietly “oh piss off”.
          It was a hot day and the air conditioning had broken down so I reckon he was pretty frustrated especially as my pass didn’t seem to work and I got filthy looks from other passengers.
          I did as he requested and pissed off.

          Liked by 2 people

        • Peter Kay mentions the northern thing of calling everyone auntie and uncle. He talks about the man down the street who he called ‘uncle’ but he wasn’t an uncle – he just borrowed his dad’s drill. 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

      • Yes you are right.
        As a frequent traveler to Asia (it’s so close now !) I simply love and admire the extended family situation where generations will live together. This seems so normal to me. I notice in Australia with so many Asian immigrants they do the same much to their benefit with say, 3 generations living in one house, pooling their income and buying more properties.

        Personally I was brought up surrounded by strong females and for various financial reasons we had uncles, aunts and grandparents living for extended periods with us. As a child I thought this was magic.

        Liked by 1 person

        • The northern matriarchy of the 1970s was fairly accurately represented in the early series of “Last of the Summer Wine” – right down to the costume. By the time the series finished that generation had died off in reality.

          Liked by 2 people

    • Honestly: at 76 with limited time doesn’t he have better things to do?.
      Quote of The Day : “Giving evidence to the court, PC Varden said: “I didn’t know what he was on about.”.

      Liked by 3 people

    • I had some peripheral involvement with the Musa saga many years ago. Christopher Booker was a royal pain in the backside, defending the “innocent” parents against the overbearing interfering social workers. Prat. At that time, Haringey’s ongoing incompetence was clear for all to see (and in an even earlier life, I’d been part of a Best Value review team there, so have seen the warts a few times..) Again, I’d heard of Haringey’s deliberate flouting of a court order, but had never read the consequences in black and white. Absolutely horrendous. And one in the eye for those berating our so-called secret courts. Without a judiciary with the honesty, wisdom, integrity and commitment to maximum transparency exemplified by Holman J, things really would be awful. Well, more awful.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Eddie Is A Cock and that SpiderCatastrophe person have posted a snap of EC and one her book covers.
    Catty implies her post is a riveting example of “fair use” and therefore is probably a mortal blow to EC and you can almost feel Dim Eddie shake with mirth as he obviously thinks it’s a thigh slapping brilliant joke from the flea bitten moggie.

    Liked by 1 person

    • LOL I saw that, GoS. I cannot for the life of me figure out what they are trying to prove. That I had a series of books published? Yep, guilty.

      That I looked different 20 years ago than I do now? Yep, that’s true too.

      What makes me laugh is that to get that picture they had to have ordered the book. Probably cost a fortune to have it mailed, so I hope they enjoy it!

      If they would like me to send along copies of the Italian or Chinese translations, I can; or perhaps they’d like to see some of the film or TV option contracts those books have attracted over the years? Just let me know, and I’ll be happy to oblige. 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • p.s. I think the “fair use” disclaimer is because I dinged her YouTube account on copyright charges for stealing a photo and text I’d written. I expect she doesn’t want a repeat performance. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Pingback: Wedger pushes SRA, invites ‘testimony’ from survivors | HOAXTEAD RESEARCH

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