German man held in France after wife freed from '12 years of captivity'
French police on Monday said they had arrested a German man after his wife was discovered after 12 years of captivity in the couple's home.
A police source said the woman, also German, was naked with her head shaved when they found her in a bedroom in the house, and had multiple injuries including broken bones.
Police said the bedroom was closed off with metal wire.
The woman was found in a house in Forbach in Moselle, on the Franco-German border.
French media reported that the woman, in her fifties, managed to contact by phone the German emergency services in Wiesbaden, the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate, on Sunday night. The German agents then contacted their French counterparts in Moselle.
The French police arrested her husband, a 55-year-old German man not known to police, charges of rape, unlawful confinement and acts of torture and barbarism, according to France Bleu Lorraine.
A police source in the eastern city of Metz, where the man was being held, told AFP that investigators were still piecing together the events.
"Several checks are underway, and I'd like to remain cautious," the source said.
Broadcaster RMC said police found a diary-type notebook in the flat, in which it was believed the man kept a record of his actions, and of the times he gave his wife food.
Comments (1)
See Also
A police source said the woman, also German, was naked with her head shaved when they found her in a bedroom in the house, and had multiple injuries including broken bones.
Police said the bedroom was closed off with metal wire.
The woman was found in a house in Forbach in Moselle, on the Franco-German border.
French media reported that the woman, in her fifties, managed to contact by phone the German emergency services in Wiesbaden, the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate, on Sunday night. The German agents then contacted their French counterparts in Moselle.
The French police arrested her husband, a 55-year-old German man not known to police, charges of rape, unlawful confinement and acts of torture and barbarism, according to France Bleu Lorraine.
A police source in the eastern city of Metz, where the man was being held, told AFP that investigators were still piecing together the events.
"Several checks are underway, and I'd like to remain cautious," the source said.
Broadcaster RMC said police found a diary-type notebook in the flat, in which it was believed the man kept a record of his actions, and of the times he gave his wife food.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.