Evil spirits had placed a spell on people trying to rid a young woman of demons -- demons that could have invaded her after others urinated on a concrete statue of a lion, the High Court at Wellington was told today.

In a remarkable testimony, a man who described himself as a "divine healer" told how he helped end a makutu, or curse-lifting ceremony, in Wainuiomata in October 2007, in which Janet Moses, 22, drowned.

Nine members of Ms Moses' extended family deny charges of manslaughter. The crown alleges they restrained her and poured water into her eyes and down her throat during the curse-lifting ceremony in the tiny granny flat, crowded with people.

Their defence lawyers say the family believed Ms Moses was actually possessed and none of the accused was acting with any criminal intent. Name suppression for the nine lapses at noon tomorrow.

During the ceremony an evil spirit was said to have jumped into a young girl.

One of the women and another man also pleaded not guilty to ill-treating a 14-year-old causing her unnecessary suffering. They have permanent name suppression.

The ceremony was interrupted by David McMillan, who today told the court he was a divine healer.

He said he had a gift in that he could see spirits and he could communicate with them if they spoke to him.

He was called to the flat in 2007 because the people wanted to know what to do.

While waiting outside a female spirit, or kuia with a husky voice, who said she was the child's grandmother, told him to get into the flat and stop the ceremony.

"The first impression of going into the room was evil.

"I could see it in their eyes. And it was evil spirits that had them, telling them what to do." He blessed the people in the flat and the spell was lifted so they could hear what he was trying to say, he said.

He saw Ms Moses' body on a bed in the main room and also blessed that. When he touched her foot said he felt her whole body flinch as her spirit was released from her body.

He then saw a younger girl at the end of the bed. She was slumped over and lifeless.

"I knew that I would have to get her out of the house or she would be the next one to go."

The court yesterday was told Ms Moses' demon was linked to the theft of a concrete lion statue from the Greytown Hotel in the Wairarapa.

Mr McMillan said he became aware the demon in Ms Moses had its origins in the theft of a taonga, or treasure.

He admitted he thought it was strange that a Maori spirit would be in a concrete statue of a lion.

He told the court that he could see people (not those in the flat) who were drinking had been urinating on the lion and that was how the demon got into it.

The concrete lion was presented to the court as evidence, and Mr McMillan was allowed to place his hands on it.

He touched it with two hands for about two and a half minutes and at one stage he put his right hand, shaking, into the air. Mr McMillan told the court that an old Maori named Hori, naked from the waste up and with a tie for a belt, was very ill and had been sick upon the lion.

The old man was very emotional and apologised to the accused for what he had done, Mr McMillan said.

The accused in the dock sat with their heads bowed, and at least one woman was weeping as Mr McMillan spoke.

Earlier police witnesses described how they found the flat and Ms Moses' body -- with red marks on both eyelids and small puncture wounds on her chin.

They spoke of the "pruning effect" as if someone had been in water for too long.

The small flat was soaked, with water squelching in the carpet underfoot.

Iwi liaison officer Taraia "Toke" Gage described his experiences with makutu. It was not a ceremony any kaumatua could perform and could be quite scary, he said.

There was no standard procedure for a makutu and it wouldn't be surprising if it could take up to five days.

The people in the flat seemed relieved after going through a big trauma. They were shocked and in a state of bewilderment, he said.

"They believed they were doing the right thing but they had a bad outcome."

The trial is set down for four to six weeks before Justice Simon France.