The guru imposed on his “disciples” strict intrusive and dirigiste rules which had serious psychological and financial consequences, according to the prosecution.
A couple has been indicted for having psychologically abused a dozen victims, some of whom were ruined, said Friday, April 8 the prosecution of Cusset (Allier).
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The man and his wife, in their forties, suspected of leading a sectarian movement, were arrested on Tuesday near Vichy, the prosecution said in a statement. After 48 hours in police custody, they were indicted on Thursday for “fraudulent abuse of the ignorance or weakness of a person in a state of psychological or physical subjection“. The man, placed in detention, was also indicted for “incitement to the illicit use or trafficking of narcotics“.
Psychological and financial consequences
The victims had contacted him to follow his initiation, via an online blog since 2015, where he presented himself as a “gothi», a pagan priest initiated into Norse mythology, magic and the occult. He imposed on themintrusive and dirigiste strict rules“who have had”serious psychological and financial consequences“, according to the prosecution. Among the dozen victims, some were “totally ruined”: their heritage was squandered, in particular for the rental of a castle. Some “followers» have abandoned their professional life, broken with their surroundings and their way of life. From “rituals», during which alcohol and narcotics were consumed, were organized in order to strengthen the influence of «gothion his followers.
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The investigation began in 2018, following the complaint of a man denouncing acts of fraudulent abuse of a person in a state of psychological subjection. The investigators had then highlighted the existence of a sectarian movement. The investigation is continuing within the framework of a rogatory commission issued by an investigating judge in Cusset.
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