This woman's life is in ruins, and she puts it all down to black magic

Christine, 48, has lost her home, livelihood and health since walking away from her unhappy second marriage, and people close to her have endured horrific illnesses - and even disappeared.

An evil spell

Bizarrely, the Australian-born businesswoman, who's based in Bali, blames evil spells cast by her ex-husband Ida Bagus, a high-ranking politician.

‘It sounds stupid,' admits Christine, who's too broke to pay for treatment for an inoperable tumour. ‘There's no proof it's black magic, but when you've lived in Bali you know it exists.

‘My husband cursed me when I told him I was going to divorce him. I thought I was strong and good would defeat evil, but now I'm not so sure.'

Ida Bagus was best man when Christine married her first husband Anak Agung, who died in an unusual motorbike accident while she was pregnant. Soon after, Ida began courting Christine.

On their wedding day in 2001, the groom was injured. Perhaps that was an omen.

‘Eventually I discovered Ida wasn't divorced,' she says. ‘He had three children and a Balinese wife, who placed bad luck charms around our house.'

Angry and desperate to escape, Christine told Ida she intended to divorce him. That's when he cursed her too - and all hell broke loose.

Staff at Christine's factory began to fall ill with such frequency that local women wouldn't work there. The business went bust and Christine lost her home. Her daughter Jade, 21, needed an emergency operation, and her son Kyle, 14, has been involved in several accidents.

Christine's new boss, with whom she was falsely rumoured to be having an affair, had a stroke. Her boyfriend began having blinding headaches, then suddenly disappeared without explanation. Finally Christine was diagnosed with an inoperable uterine tumour.

‘I can only take so much,' she says. ‘I've been to Hindu priests all over Bali to lift the curse, but the black magic's too strong. I just want to get on with my life and get well and happy again.'

By Jenny Brown

More from New Idea