Asia-Pacific News
Nine charged with manslaughter over Maori curse death
Dec 12, 2007, 4:50 GMT
Wellington - Nine people appeared in court Wednesday charged with the manslaughter of a 22-year-old woman said to have died during a Maori exorcism ceremony in which large quantities of water were used.
The six women and three men were remanded on bail until February after being jointly charged with the murder of Janet Moses, a mother of two who died at a house in the Wellington suburb Wainuiomata on October 12, Radio New Zealand reported.
One of the women and a fourth man were also jointly charged with cruelty to a 14-year-old girl, who was earlier reported to have been nearly blinded when her eyeballs were gouged to remove the devil relatives said they saw in her eyes during the same exorcism.
News reports said the girl was a cousin of Janet Moses, 22, and the exorcism ceremony was performed on at least seven members of the family to lift a Maori curse imposed after the theft of a stone statue of a lion.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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