Up to 5 years in prison demanded for performing exorcism on 9 y.o. boy

The Public Prosecutor demanded up to five years in prison against three adults who tried to perform an exorcism on a 9-year-old boy from Venlo. The boy's mother and a couple she's friends with tried to expel a jinn - a supernatural being fromm Islamic theology - from the child, L1 reports.

The three suspects are accused of aggravated assault. According to L1, the mother and her friend pushed cotton swabs into the boy's ears until he bled. The boy sustained permanent hearing damage. The child was also forced to hold his hands in a hot oven. The exorcism happened in the suspected couple's Venlo home.

A spokesperson for the Public Prosecutor confirmed to NU.nl that 5 years in prison was demanded against the mother, and 4 and 5 years against the couple. The court will rule in two weeks.