Doomsday cult leader who beat and tortured followers to ‘drive out evil spirits’ is jailed

Followers subjected to ‘collective beatings’ and ‘physical torture’, court says

Shin OK-ju convinced 400 of her followers to move to Fiji in 2014 (Grace Road Church)

The leader of a South Korean doomsday cult has been sentenced to six years in prison for beating her followers and detaining them in Fiji.

Shin Ok-ju, founder of the Grace Road Church, convinced 400 of her followers to move to Fiji in 2014 after she claimed a famine would blight the Korean peninsula.

Once they arrived, their passports were confiscated and they were subjected to "collective beatings" and "physical torture", a sub-court of the Suwon District Court said, according to the BBC.

Followers said they had been beaten in order to "drive out evil spirits".

Shin, who was arrested last July, was found guilty by a South Korean court on charges of violence, child abuse and fraud.

"The victims suffered helplessly from collective beatings and experienced not only physical torture but also severe fear and considerable mental shock," the sub-court said.

"Heavy punishment is inevitable against illegal acts carried out in the name of religion."

Five other church officials were also sentenced.

Around 400 Grace Road Church followers remain in Fiji after their passports were confiscated by church leaders.

The court said they spend their days undertaking forced labour and attending evening sermons.

Several mainstream churches in Fiji have accused the church of being a cult.

It raises funds through its business empire, which includes restaurant chains and a construction firm.