Kristy Bamu was a 15-year-old boy that visited his sister and her partner for Christmas in 2010 and was found dead on Christmas Day at their flat in London.
The case we are discussing today reminds me of the Sylvia Likens murder that I wrote about previously, and is just as horrific.
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The Nightmare Begins
Christmas is about spending time with loved ones and spreading joy. Unfortunately, the Bamu children their Christmas would not be a happy one. Kristy travelled from Paris with his 2 sisters and 2 brothers to Manor Park, East London. They travelled there to spend the Christmas holidays with their sister Magalie Bamu.
Magalie aged 29 lived with her partner Eric Bikubi aged 28 in a flat in London. Her siblings were excited to spend time with their sister and enjoy Christmas with her. However, this is when the nightmare begins.
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| Kristy travelled to London from Paris, France. |
It all began when Kristy wet himself and left the underwear in the kitchen. Bikubi insisted that the pants were sorcery and that the children were practising magic.
He threatened to throw them out of the window to see how they would fly and started to torture them all until they admitted to practising witchcraft. Whenever their parents called to speak to them they were forced to lie, as they would have a blade held to their throats.
They were starved and beaten until they admitted they were witches. In the end, the children admitted to the practice to avoid more beatings, except for Kristy. He continued to deny it, which meant Eric continued to punish him.
The Murder of Kristy Bamu
The couple continued to torture Kristy and would use pliers, a metal pole, knives, a hammer, and planks on the defenceless and terrified boy. In total, they inflicted 130 injuries to his body and Kristy begged to die. They even forced his siblings to take part in the beatings.
On Christmas Day they placed Kristy into the bath for what they called a ritual cleansing. At this point, Kristy was very weak and when they left him alone he slipped under the water and drowned.
When Eric found him he tried to resuscitate him but he was already gone.
When the police and paramedics got to the flat they found blood everywhere and the children were hysterical. They tried to help Kristy too but was unable to save him.
All of the children were hysterical. One of the sisters told them that they had been hurt, and another said they were forced to hit Kristy in the face with a hammer.
Kristy's face and head were covered in cuts, his teeth had been smashed out with a hammer, ceramic tiles had been smashed over his head, and his ear had been twisted with pliers.
Magalie and Eric were arrested for the torture killing of 15-year-old Kristy Bamu.
The Trial
They stood trial at the Old Bailey and the defence argued that Bikubi suffered from mental illness and Magalie said she was forced to take part. However, evidence proved that she hit Kristy and encouraged his violence.
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| The Old Bailey. Image credit: TQ3181 @ Geograph |
Their parents felt betrayed and could not believe what happened to their son. They said they have forgiven them, but they want to raise awareness for cases of torture involving witchcraft.
Final Thoughts
This case was shocking to me because it only happened in 2010, which is not really that long ago. I was upset by what I read, especially as it was his sister and her partner committing the crime. They were trusted to take care of the children but they did the exact opposite.
Kristy was one of many children that died in voodoo rituals in the London African communities. I have read about the English witch trials and the Salem witch trials, but to think this kind of behaviour still exists baffles me.
What are your thoughts on this case and ritualistic murders? Please share in the comments below.
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