CAYENNE (French Guiana) - A FRENCH Guiana court has jailed four church members for up to 12 years for the exorcism of an epileptic teenager who was found dead attached to a cross.

The members of the Celestial Church of Christ were jailed on Wednesday for terms of three to 12 years for 'wilful violence that caused death' for 15-year-old Roger Bosse in 2005 in the south American territory.

The court heard that the mother of the boy, who suffered from mental illness, had brought him to the church for help and was told he was possessed by the devil.

The church members beat the boy repeatedly over a three-day period with reeds and belts and attached him to a cross for the last two days, the position in which he died.

A post-mortem showed that he had probably died from suffocation.

The Celestial Church of Christ was founded in the west African state of Benin in 1947 and claims millions of adherents worldwide. -- AFP