Phoenix Faith told Sky News that she was starved, beaten and exorcised, where she shaved her head after attending a church group in London. The former model, who moved to the UK from West Africa as a child, believes other victims of this type of abuse are not being identified – and urged them to show up. Met Police investigated Phoenix’s allegations of child cruelty, but said there was “insufficient evidence” to charge. It comes after Sky News revealed that beliefs in magic have been linked to reports of rape, assault, false imprisonment and death threats in the UK since 2018. “I was brainwashed and tortured” Phoenix said she started going to church as a child after her mother was being treated for lung cancer. She said that within a few weeks, a religious leader in the church claimed to be a witch who had caused her mother’s illness. Image: Phoenix reported its allegations to police in 2020 Phoenix told Sky News she was then “brainwashed” and “tortured” to admit she had cancer in her mother. He added: “(The leader of the faith) hit me to the point where I shouted: ‘Yes (I am a witch)!’” Phoenix said that for several months in the church group, she was made to endure extreme fasting, to be beaten with a broom and to recite psalms on an hourly basis. In one alleged incident, she said she shaved her head during an exorcism ceremony near the sea. Fighting the tears, Phoenix told Sky News: “It was dark and (the leader of the faith) shaved my hair and threw it into the ocean. “I literally no longer had hair. “When I went to school … I had this bandana … and I put it on my head. “I would make people pull it off and run away and say, ‘Where did all your hair go?’ “Where did all your hair go?” Image: Phoenix said her mother would beg her: “Please release me” “The charge of magic is something that destroys your life” Phoenix said her mother was initially convinced by the religious leader’s claims that she was a witch and would beg her daughter: “Please release me.” “I said, ‘Mom, if I had the strength, I would release you – I do not have the authority,’” Phoenix told Sky News. “Of course it made me feel horrible.” Phoenix said she later found out that her “confession”, where she had to admit she was a witch, had been recorded on tape. He believes that this recording was used to convince others that he was involved in magic. Phoenix said it was a “huge relief” when her mother eventually stopped believing the religious leader’s allegations, but the alleged abuse had a lasting impact and “cut” her modeling career as an adult. “The charge of magic is something that destroys your life for a very, very long time,” Phoenix said. “This is something I would say ruined my life, prevented me from making friends. “I was isolated for a long, long time.” Read more: Man accused of witchcraft as child warns UK victims missing during pandemic Picture: Phoenix (L), pictured with singer Dua Lipa, has had a successful modeling career that says she ‘cut it short’ Phoenix said it was “extremely concerned” that the religious leader might continue to lead church groups and reported her allegations to the Met Police in 2020. However, detectives told her in December 2021 that there was “insufficient evidence” to charge her and the case was closed. Phoenix has now urged anyone with a magical abuse to contact police. In an immediate message to the victims, he said: “I would ask you if you are out there, any of you, if you have ever experienced this kind of stigma and this kind of abuse of magic, I would ask you to come forward and go to the police. and mention it, or if you know someone who has trusted you. “Because this thing is a virus – it ‘s a hidden virus you do not hear.” Victims of magic abuse “hit, burned and cut” Leethen Bartholomew, head of the FGM National Center in Barnardo’s, expressed her sympathy for Phoenix, saying her alleged ordeal would be “a terrible thing to experience.” He said he was aware of exorcisms in other cases where victims were beaten, burned and cut because of the belief that an “opening” would be created to allow an “evil spirit” to leave the body. Image: Leethen Bartholomew, of Barnardo’s, says exorcisms can involve horrific abuse He also revealed that some victims had been subjected to “half strangulation” where they were taken to the “point of near death”. Mr. Bartholomew told Sky News: “The idea is to trick this evil spirit inside this child into dying, so that the spirit can leave this body. “The list goes on and on.” Children killed in the UK are linked to magical beliefs In November, it was announced that Met Police would receive new training to detect signs of child abuse linked to magical beliefs, as they are often “lost or misdiagnosed”. Such beliefs have previously been linked to the torture and murder of children in the United Kingdom, including eight-year-old Victoria Climbie in 2000 and 15-year-old Kristy Bamu in 2010. Image: Victoria Climbie tortured to death in 2000 Image: Kristy Bamu drowned in a bath in an exorcism on Christmas Day 2010 Barnardo’s children’s charity has expressed concern about possible outbreaks during the coronavirus pandemic, warning that those infected with the virus could be described as witches by those with such beliefs. The charity also said there could have been cases where children did not go to school during the COVID lockdown.
Who believes in magic and who is the target?
Met Police say abuse linked to belief in witchcraft or witchcraft may involve “ritual or satanic abuse” The force warns that “significant harm” could occur, including murder, due to attempts to “exorcise” or “get rid” of evil by a child or a vulnerable adult. Examples have been recorded in various religions, including Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. The latest figures show that around 1,950 suspected child victims were identified by English councils in 2018/19 – an increase of 34% over the previous year The number of known cases suggests that only a small minority of people who believe in magic or possessing spirits continue to abuse children and adults, says Met Police.
What did the Met Police say about the Phoenix case? In response to the Phoenix case, a Met Police spokesman told Sky News: “In October 2020, we received a report of a recent child molestation that allegedly occurred. “After a thorough investigation and based on all the information made available to the officers, it was decided that the case did not meet the evidentiary control and no further action was taken. “The complainant has been fully informed.”
