Pregnant Witch Hung From A Tree

In Papua New Guinea a pregnant woman who was hung from a tree after being accused of witchcraft gave birth to her baby while struggling to free herself.

Nolan Yekum and her husband Paul were dragged from their house in the middle of the night and hung from a tree by fellow tribesmen who accused them of sorcery after the couple's sick 84 year-old neighbour suddenly died.

"We managed to loosen the noose to get our feet on the ground and we were able to free ourselves.

"My wife, who was about seven months pregnant, delivered the baby while struggling to free herself.

"It was a painful experience for me but mostly for her," Mr Yekum said.

He said he pleaded with villagers to wait for his neighbour's post-mortem examination and he accused local police of failing to act.

A police spokesman said: " We don't like to get involved in this sort of thing and an autopsy is going to have to wait about 200 years until we get civilisation I mean we only stopped head hunting in the 1950's, or did we?"

The woman and her baby girl, her third child, were doing well in Mt Hagen Hospital after two weeks in hiding. They are naming her 'Satanella.'

The number of witch killings in Papua New Guinea has been estimated at 200 a year.

"The villagers believe they have to kill the 'witches', otherwise the whole clan is at risk from black magic."