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France: 'guru' and accomplice convicted of raping a teenager under an exorcism pretext
Record class
Core record
Evidence status
Convicted
Authority role
self-styled guru of a small esoteric circle, accomplice within the circle
Organization
No organization assigned
Spiritual nexus
Two generations bound by the same claimed authority: the mother's belief delivered her daughter into the circle, and the exorcism doctrine made the abuse read as rescue.
- Exorcism or deliverance
- Threatened spiritual consequence
Evidence structure
Proceedings
2024-03-04 · convictions and sentences
Cour criminelle de Rodez, France. The leader of a small sectarian esoteric circle was sentenced to 15 years and his accomplice to 12 for repeatedly raping a teenage girl under the pretext of exorcising a demon to save her life. Her mother — herself previously subjected to similar sexual 'rites' — had entrusted her daughter to the men for supposed spiritual treatment.
Documented coercion mechanisms
- claim that a demon had to be exorcised to save the girl's life
- the mother's own prior subjection to the same 'rites'
Primary record
Sources
- national public broadcaster verdict and sentencing report 'Viols sous couvert d'exorcisme: 15 ans de réclusion pour le gourou', France 3 Occitanie, 4 Mar. 2024.
Reports the convictions, sentences and the exorcism pretext.
Related record
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