A couple convicted of torturing and drowning a teenage boy they accused of being a witch have been jailed for life.
Kristy's sister Magalie, 29, was given a minimum term of 25 years and her partner Eric Bikubi, 28, a minimum term of 30 years.
They were sentenced at the Old Bailey in London following their convictions last week for the murder.
Judge David Paget told the couple that they were guilty of "prolonged torture involving metal and physical suffering being inflicted before death."
Kristy, 15, died in a bath at a tower block flat in Newham, east London, on Christmas Day 2010 after days of brutal abuse.
He had travelled to London from Paris with his two brothers and two sisters to spend the holiday with Magalie.
But during the stay, Magalie and football coach Bikubi became convinced Kristy was a witch and began a four day "deliverance" ceremony.
Kristy was attacked with hammers, metal bars, pliers, ceramic tiles, a chisel and wooden poles in a bid to exorcise evil spirits.
His brothers and sisters were made to join in the torture and if they refused Bikubi forced light bulbs in their mouths and threatened them with knives.
None of the children were allowed to sleep or eat and were forced to join in chanting and prayers.
At one point, Bikubi told the youngsters to jump out of the window to see if they could fly, the court heard.
On Christmas Day, Bikubi put the children in the bath for ritual cleansing but Kristy was so weak after three days of abuse that he slipped under the water.
His sisters, aged 20 and 11, were also beaten but escaped further attacks after "confessing" to being witches.
Both Bikubi and the Bamu family hail originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where accusing children of witchcraft and then exorcising them is commonplace.
The practice is known as "kindoki" and during the trial, the jury were told that it was the "driving force" behind the murder.
The judge accepted that Bikubi's mental damage may have made him more inclined to believe Kristy was a witch and a threat to a young child of the family.
But he added: "The belief in witchcraft, however genuine, cannot excuse an assault to another person, let alone the killing of another human being."
He told Magalie he did not accept her denial of belief in witchcraft and claim that she was forced to attack Kristy by Bikubi.
"It is only explicable if you shared Eric Bikubi's belief. It provides some explanation for what happened, but it does not excuse it," the judge said.
No separate sentence was passed for attacks on Kristy's sisters, although the judge said: "The ordeal they were subjected to almost passes belief."
Kristy's father Pierre said in a statement: "Kristy died in unimaginable circumstances at the hands of people he loved and trusted - people we all loved and trusted.
"I feel betrayed. To know that Kristy's own sister, Magalie, did nothing to save him makes the pain that much worse."
Scotland Yard has investigated 83 cases involving abuse resulting from ritualistic or faith-based beliefs and brought 17 prosecutions over the last 10 years.
Detective Superintendent Terry Sharpe said: "This is a hidden and under-reported crime and therefore difficult to deal with in terms of protecting potential victims from harm."
Save the Children's head of child protection, Bill Bell, said: "This case must serve as a wake-up call to governments and local authorities to do more to prevent this kind of terrible abuse from happening to children in future.
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A few comments below:
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Ben • Newbury, England • 32 minutes agoReport Abuse
These two should be checking the roads in afghanistan for IEDs for our boys.
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APRIL • Edinburgh, Scotland • 17 minutes agoReport Abuse
Can anyone reading this tell me why this country does not have the death sentence? These people should be instantly executed. More of British taxpayers money wasted on foreign criminals!!
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Matthew • London, England • 23 minutes agoReport Abuse
primitive animals .
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Kenny • 23 minutes agoReport Abuse
well i hope if they believe in witchcraft they find out what else the end of a broomstick can be used for in prison
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denzle • 32 minutes agoReport Abuse
I agree..... The rope.
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mountain-bike-rider • 20 minutes agoReport Abuse
30 years minimum is not life so dont report it as such
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Graham • 26 minutes agoReport Abuse
Waste of money keeping this pair inside - A little of the treatment they dished out to that young man should do the trick, take it nice and slow and give them ample time to reflect upon the atrocities they committed.
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Jake24 • Yeovil, England • 20 minutes agoReport Abuse
This government are apparently always learning from mistakes. Let's hope that no more people such as these two are allowed to live in this country. It appears that if someone applies for asylum or illegally enters Britain, they are left to live amongst us, and it's only when a crime such as this... More
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Komakech • 12 minutes agoReport Abuse
They must have originated from Democratic Republic of Congo. That is where people have so much believe in witchcraft and even killed children suspected to be witches. In our country they will get the death penalty!!
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M • 4 minutes 50 seconds agoReport Abuse
When will the inevitable appeal be?
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Phil • London, England • 15 minutes agoReport Abuse
They should be hung drawn and quartered
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Wake up England! • London, England • 16 minutes agoReport Abuse
I'm not surprised these primitive savages get up to this sort of thing in the backward cesspit they come from - what I would like to know is WHY do we let these animals into our country in the first place? Where are the 'benefits of multiculturalism' we keep hearing about? Now these people will be... More
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Michael R • 11 minutes agoReport Abuse
Jailed for life eh?. Thats at least two weeks inside then sent on holiday for a month and given a new house because their yuman rights were impinged.
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Phil • London, England • 7 minutes agoReport Abuse
Isn't multicultrilism fantastic.....not
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Roger • Manchester, England • 5 minutes agoReport Abuse
After their brief life sentence, send them back, if they claim to have British passports these should be cancelled, send them back to their place of origin where these things originate, then we would all be happier.
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Zac • 5 minutes agoReport Abuse
Jail them by all means, but in their own countries!.
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elmer fudd • 9 minutes agoReport Abuse
BEST THING FOR THESE ANIMALS IS THE DEATH PENALTY WHY PAY TO KEEP THESE ALIVE, PPL IN CARE HOMES WONT GET BETTER LOOKED AFTER THAN THESE DISPICABLE PAIR OF ANIMALS,
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Andy elle • 10 minutes agoReport Abuse
These should be put on the ducking stool, just to make sure.
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s w r • 3 minutes 11 seconds agoReport Abuse
i hope they both get plenty of torture themselves while inside
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