A self-proclaimed sorcerer was sentenced to death, on Tuesday, for killing three toddlers, including an 8-month-old baby, in an exorcism ritual he claimed would banish evil spirits that possessed them.
Black magic practitioner, Tun Naing, was convicted of crime that took place, late last year, in a tiny village outside Myanmar’s commercial capital of Yangon.
Witnesses said he told villagers the children were possessed by evil spirits before attacking them as their spellbound families watched.
Police prosecutor, Myat Soe, said Tun Naing had been given a death sentence for the killings, as well as jail time for the charge of greivous bodily harm of another child caught up in the rituals.
Myanmar still has capital punishment on the books, but has not executed anyone for decades. So, the sentence may end up being commuted to 20 years in jail.
“He was sentenced to death today by the district court, along with a seven year sentence,” Myat Soe told AFP.
The case of the three children, in October, shocked many in Myanmar, where belief in the magic is part of the fabric of everyday life.
Hospital workers alerted authorities after the father of another little girl, who had been beaten, brought her to hospital covered in bruises.
Speaking outside a court hearing in November, Tun Naing told reporters he had been possessed by a “dark spirit” when he attacked the children.
Witnesses said villagers, including the children’s families, lost their senses after he fed them “blessed” water and made them stand in a circle as he recited incantations.
Tun Naing (centre) 