Man claiming to be monk indecently assaulted women in supposed Buddhist exorcism ritual

Indecent assault under the pretence of an exorcism.

That is the thrust of a case against a 55-year-old man who, while claiming to be a Taoist monk, is accused of groping a middle-aged woman and her 15-year-old daughter after being engaged to help rid their home of evil spirits, reported Apple Daily.

The trial, which started at the District Court yesterday, heard the monk, Yuen Ming-kuen assaulted the victims, referred to as X (the mother) and Y (the daughter) between August 28, 2016 and March 30, the following year.

Yuen, facing seven counts indecent assault and one count of physical assault, denies the charges.

According to the SCMP, upon his arrest he attributed the alleged behavior to religious practice.

“Each master practises differently. Arrest me if you considered mine unlawful,” he said reportedly said to police.

Events in the case began in August 2016 when X — a woman in her 40s with borderline personality disorder and depression who had experienced seizures — told friends she believed her house was haunted, reported Sing Tao Daily.

Her friends then recommended Yuen to “heal” the evil spirits in the home, where 15-year-old Y, who suffers learning disabilities, also lives.

During the process, Yuen asked X to be naked in order to receive better “treatment,” a request that, after initial skepticism, she accepted. From there, things got more inappropriate, the court heard.

According to X, Yuen groped her breasts and nipples with his right hand for about 10 minutes. He also touched her private parts, it was alleged. The behavior was witnessed by a friend of the victim, the court heard.

Yuen allegedly assaulted X on six occasions, including on March 29 last year when  X experienced a seizure. Despite her state, Yuen allegedly continued his “treatment”, groping X’s breasts and, at one point, hitting her in her left eye.

After the seizure, the monk stayed at the victim’s home. The following night, Y awoke to find Yuen touching her. He reportedly claimed he wanted to check if she was afflicted with ptomaine, a poisonous substance formed by bacteria in decaying matter, which the monk referred to as “corpse poison.”

Told about the incident by her daughter, X was surprised as she hadn’t asked Yuen to “treat” her daughter.

Yuen also demanded money for the “treatments”, asking for HK$8,000 (US$1,032). Unable to afford the sum, the woman reportedly paid about HK$2,200 (US$281).

The trial continues.