Court overturns 'exorcism' conviction

LUND, Sweden, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- A Swedish court has reversed the conviction of a man sentenced to jail for having his wife exorcised while she was tied down.

The appeals court said bruises and other physical damage the wife said she suffered during the proceeding could have been faked with makeup, The Local reported.

The man, a resident of Lund in southern Sweden, was convicted after his wife testified in June 2010 her husband entered her bedroom with a black-clad stranger, tied her hands together and held her legs. She said she managed to get away from him and flee.

He was ordered to spend six months in jail and to pay his wife $5,800 in damages.

The "exorcist" testified he believed the woman was possessed by demons. He said he has had years of experience praying evil spirits away but the wife's resistance, which he took as a sign of possession, made it impossible for him to exorcise her.

The man had previously been convicted and sentenced to eight months in prison for beating his wife. He said his wife is the one who is physically brutal and has told people at his children's school that he is living with a "wild animal."