An anesthesiologist working for the UK’s National Health Service has been charged with poisoning his wife with powerful sedatives in a series of botched exorcisms reportedly intended to rid of her evil spirits. Hossam Metwally, 61, performed what was described as a “dangerous perversion” of the Islamic Ruqya ritual on Kelly Wilson at their home in Grimsby, eventually leading to Wilson experiencing multiple organ failure and falling into a coma, BBC News reports.
- Metwally believed Wilson was possessed by supernatural spirits called “jinns.” He believed that several of these beings were “hiding” inside her and that he could only get them out by reciting verses from the Koran and putting holy water and oils on her skin. Over a four-year period beginning in 2016, he performed more than 250 rituals on her.
- He took what is seen as a legitimate Islamic ritual to inappropriate levels. At no point during the ritual should prescription drugs have been administered to Wilson, but extracts from 200 clips shown to the jury depicted Metwally pushing fluids through a cannula into the woman.
- Eventually, Wilson fell into a coma. After more than three years of these so-called rituals, Wilson was nearly in cardiac arrest and went into a coma, leading police to launch an investigation into how she got in such a state.
- Police discovered a “vast stock of drugs” at Metwally’s home. Everything from ketamine, propofol, fentanyl, and Diazemuls was in the house, and it’s unclear which or how much of these he had administered to Wilson over the four-year period.
- Metwally was found guilty of eight charges. These charges include administering a noxious substance and a count of fraud among others. The sentencing hearing will be held on September 20.
