A Mexican family has been jailed for gouging out the eyes of their five-year-old relative with a spoon during a satanic ritual to bring about the end of the world.

Fernando Caleb Alvarado Rios was ordered to close his eyes out of respect with his mother, grandparents, aunt and uncles as they danced in a circle and called on Satan to reveal himself.

But when he was too scared to do so, his mother, Maria del Carmen Garcia Rios, grabbed a spoon and the entire group gouged them out.

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Tragic: Fernando Caleb Alvarado Rios, now aged seven, had his eyes gouged out in May 2012 by his mother, aunt, two uncles and grandparents during a satanic ritual because he refused to close his eyes out of respect

Jailed: Maria del Carmen Garcia Rios has been sentenced to 30 years in jail for the attack on her son

They were caught when neighbours, who had heard loud chanting, came to investigate and saw the child screaming in pain.

Today, more than two years after the incident in May 2012, a court has sentenced the group to 30 years each in jail.

Fernando has since been given glass eyes and is now in care.

The family, from the town of Nezahualcoyotl, believed the ritual would bring them closer to Satan who could claim them as his own and save them from a deadly earthquake.

Neighbour, Joaquin Arguello, told the court, that he had always thought the family were devout and deeply religious, but had not realised that they were Satanists.

Recovering: The child, pictured playing with Mexico state governor, now has glass eyes and is in care

Escape: He was born into a family that believed Satan could save them from a fast-approaching apocalypse

He said: 'We could hear screaming and we were banging on the door but nobody was answering, then a police patrol came past and one of the women who was with us ran into the road to flag it down, and officers forced their way inside.'

Policeman Benet Curiel said that they had witnessed the scene of horror inside in which the scantily clad Satanists had been hunched over the screaming boy in the kitchen and that the two women were covered in blood.

Reading from his notes of the encounter he said: 'We called for an ambulance, and we were keeping the group against the wall at gunpoint and away from the boy.



Rescue: Neighbours in the town of Nezahualcoyotl heard the boy's screams and rushed to save him

Building a new life: Fernando will be given specialist care and a new home as his family is jailed for life

'I asked one of the women what was going on and she told me her name was Carmen Rios Garcia, and that the boy was her son.

'She identified him as Fernando Caleb Alvarado Rios, and said he was five years old, and said that she and her sister Lizbeth had done it.'