Eric Bikubi, 28, and his girlfriend, Magalie Bamu, 29, were jailed for at least 30 and 25 years respectively for the murder of Bamu's brother, Kristy, on Christmas Day 2010, at their flat in east London.
The teenager and his four siblings, French nationals, were visiting the elder sister for the Christmas holidays when she and her boyfriend accused him and two of his sisters, aged 20 and 11, of being witches. They were beaten and denied food, drink and sleep as the couple tried to rid them of evil spirits.
The girls confessed to being witches and the assault stopped, but Kristy was tortured in a prolonged attack that left him with more than 130 injuries.
In a final cleansing ritual, he was put into a bath. Too weak to keep his head up, he drowned.
Judge David Paget said: "The belief in witchcraft, however genuine, cannot excuse an assault to another person, let alone the killing of another human being." -
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