man in custody
© EPADoeon K., described as as the main perpetrator, was sentenced to six years in jail
A court has jailed a woman for her part in the horrific beating and suffocation of a relative during an exorcism ritual in a German hotel room.

The attacker, from South Korea, was sentenced six years behind bars after her cousin died following the two-hour ordeal in Frankfurt's Intercontinental Hotel.

Prosecutors said the victim - named in court as Seonhwa P, 41 - was set upon by family members after she began talking to herself and lashing out during a visit to the hotel in December 2015.

The odd behaviour led the accused to attempt the "exorcism", the prosecutor said.

The woman was gagged with a towel, and later with a cloth-covered coat hanger, while her chest and stomach were beaten for two hours, the court heard.

The victim suffered "massive chest compression and trauma to the neck" and died of asphyxiation.

Judges at the district court in the western German city where the crime took place found the victim's 44-year-old cousin, described as the main perpetrator, guilty of inflicting bodily harm causing death.

The guilty woman - named as Doean K. - had "taken it upon herself to decide over life and death", prosecutor Nadja Boettinger said during the trial.

Four other family members - including Doean K's son, 22, and daughter, 19, as well as a 16-year-old son of the victim - were also accused of involvement.

They were handed suspended sentences ranging from 18 months to two years, national news agency DPA reported.

Delivering his verdict, the judge said the family had acted in the belief they were chasing away the victim's demons, calling it "a tragic case".

After finding the woman's body at the hotel, cops also discovered a possible second victim in the garage of a house the group had rented in the town of Sulzbach.

The family - who came to Germany in the summer of 2015 to build an import-export business - claimed the house was haunted by evil spirits.

They kept all blinds and shutters down and lived in complete darkness, according to neighbours.

The second woman, who was found alive, was badly injured and suffering from hypothermia and dehydration.