Black magic conman sentenced to prison in Thailand

A Criminal Court judge in Thailand has sent away a con man who claimed to have black magic powers but was tricking women trying to repair their love affairs.

Testimony at the trial of Thanaws Assawapongsuwan revealed he, his wife and three women accomplices swindled tens of thousands of dollars from women who believed their black-magic claims.

Thanawas called himself Ajarn Karawage in posters and internet advertisements, an alias that alleged he was a respected teacher. The ads on websites and telephone poles invited women to attend black-magic rituals at his home, where ceremonies would assure the women could repair broken relations with husbands and boyfriends.

At the ceremonies, Thanawas and his female accomplices convinced the victims to take off their clothes. The group applied a "potion" to the women, and abused them sexually, according to the court testimony. They then held a ritual which, of course, failed to reunite any of the women, who filed complaints with police.

Belief in black magic rituals and ceremonies run deep in Thailand, and not just among poorly informed people. One recent prime minister, Chaovalit Yongchaiyudh, and his wife routinely held black magic sessions to try to affect political planning.

One of the common rituals revolves around "kuman thong" (golden boy), using the fetuses of stillborn babies. Witch doctors claim they can "adopt" the remains as their own children.

The crimes took place over at least a five-year period up to March, 2014.

The trial did not reveal the amounts demanded by the women, but police sources said it amounted to millions of Thai baht, or tens of thousands of dollars.

The judge handed down sentences of 22 years and eight months for fraud, and 20 months for on two charges of illegal possession of a firearm. Under Thai law, the maximum criminal sentence is 20 years.