A German man has been jailed in Switzerland for trampling his mentally-challenged daughter to death while trying to exorcise a demon. The 50-year-old was also accused of sexually assaulting his daughter in an effort to revive her.

The unnamed man told the Frauenfeld District Court in the canton of Thurgau, Switzerland, that he was simply giving his daughter a “massage” to drive out a demon during the night in question in January 2016, DW reports.

Videos reenacting the brutal exorcism were shown to the court using a life-size straw puppet. The demonstration showed how the man would have stood on his 25-year-old daughter as she lay on the floor, and repeatedly kicked her in the stomach.

The prosecution also alleged the man raped his daughter while she was dying, or already dead, in an effort to revive her; he was acquitted on that charge. Autopsy reports confirmed the woman died of internal injuries, according to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Vatican launches exorcism course to battle 3-fold surge in demonic possession https://t.co/ffcRy1j5wq — RT UK (@RTUKnews) February 25, 2018

The lawyer for the defendant had requested a lenient three-year sentence for negligent homicide, while the prosecution sought a sentence of 14 years. On Friday, he was sentenced to nine years in prison. The man intends to appeal the verdict.

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