ABSTRACT

I was a Detective Inspector with the Metropolitan Police with 30 years police service and I retired in September 2006. Prior to retirement I was operational leader on Project Violet, a project set up by the Child Abuse Investigation Command (SCD5) as a response to ‘the practice of faith and/or belief based ritualistic related abuse of children’. This type of abuse on a child may involve physical assault, mental cruelty, sexual assault or neglect by an adult because they believe their faith, religion or belief, demands such behaviour, actions or religious ritual. The exorcism of demons in a manner described above would constitute abuse.