An out-of-control builder has been arrested for gatecrashing a wake and assaulting the deceased woman 'after being ordered by the devil to wreak havoc'.

Bryan Tarucan, 41, was allegedly on drugs when he barged into the chapel hosting the memorial service in the Sitio San Roque area of Cebu City in Cebu province, the Philippines on July 17 evening.

Funeral-goers were shocked when the stranger began pounding on the casket of Alicia Hernando, 62, shattering the glass and battering the dead lady's face.

Frantic relatives - one wielding a table as a weapon - ran over to stop Bryan, who was seen throwing punches at them as they dragged him away. The furious locals mauled him, and he was dragged to the police station with a bruised face and bloody nose.

Police Colonel Ireneo Dalogdog, Chief of the Cebu City Police, said: 'Allegedly, the suspect is a drug user. We have prepared a criminal complaint against him for malicious mischief.'

Bryan's family told police that right before his rampage, they had also suffered physical abuse at his hands.

His sister-in-law Gloria Glory: 'He went into my room and strangled me and punched me in the ear. It was so painful. He also hurt my mum and left her bruised on the shoulders.'

Speaking to local media, a seemingly dazed and rambling Bryan said: 'It's true that I confronted the dead. A demon ordered me to punch her coffin. I'm not drunk or stoned. I don't use drugs.

'When I walked out of the chapel after beating the woman, the other people ganged up on me. They took my necklace, punched me, and bashed me. They took my black necklace that I bought from Baclaran which I dipped in holy water. I was using it to shield myself from demons.

'The demons were fierce. It felt like I was possessed.'

Meanwhile, Alicia's casket has been replaced and her face was retouched following the incident.

Her family has declined to give an interview, but said they will be filing charges against Bryan, who is currently held in police custody.