Exorcist says he was ‘possessed’ when he murdered children

By AFP
The Myanmar Times
21 November 2016

A self-proclaimed sorcerer who allegedly beat three children to death in an exorcism ritual appeared in court on November 18 when he told reporters he was possessed by a “dark spirit” at the time of the killings.

Ko Tun Naing arrived at court on November 18 chained to other detainees and escorted by police. Photo: AFPKo Tun Naing arrived at court on November 18 chained to other detainees and escorted by police. Photo: AFP

Police say the black magic practitioner, Ko Tun Naing, 30, punched and kicked two toddlers and an eight-month-old baby to death last month in a village on the outskirts of the commercial capital.

According to witnesses, Ko Tun Naing told villagers the children were possessed by evil spirits and then killed them over two days as their families watched the ritual.

Speaking as police led him away from the court hearing, Ko Tun Naing told reporters he had been possessed when he attacked the children.

“I did it because I lost control of my mind at that time as the dark spirit took over me,” he said.

The uncle of the dead three-year-old, also named Ko Tun Naing, said the villagers lost their senses after the sorcerer fed them “blessed” water and made them stand in a circle as he recited incantations.

“Because of what he did everyone was out of their mind,” he told AFP reporters who visited him in Twante, south of Yangon, several days after the killings.

A police report on the incident said the bodies of the children – a three-year-old boy, a two-year-old girl and a baby girl – showed evidence of being punched, kicked and stamped on.

Hospital workers alerted authorities after the father of another little girl who had been beaten brought her to hospital. According to police, the exorcist struck the four-year-old girl an axe.

Ko Tun Naing has been charged under sections 302, 325, and 201 of the penal code, for causing grievous hurt, disposing of evidence, and murder. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/23797-exorcist-says-he-was-possessed-when-he-murdered-children.html