German husband, 55, is arrested after his wife, 53, is found naked with her head shaved and her legs and fingers broken in a locked ‘torture room’ ‘held captive in a flat in France since 2011’
- The woman was found on Monday in a flat in Forbach, northern France
- French police were tipped off after stealing a mobile phone and warning their German counterparts about the border
A German man has been arrested in France after his wife was found naked in a ‘torture chamber’ with a shaved head and broken legs and fingers.
The 55-year-old is accused of keeping his 53-year-old wife captive in a flat since 2011, when she claimed she was first kidnapped by her husband.
The woman, also German, was found in a flat in the northern French town of Forbach, on the border with Germany, and was immediately rushed to hospital.
The man, who according to local media is her husband, was arrested Monday morning on suspicion of kidnapping and torture.
According to reports, on Sunday, August 6, the woman was able to steal her husband’s mobile phone and call the German police from the flat.
A German man has been arrested in France after his wife was found naked in a ‘torture chamber’ with a shaved head and broken legs and fingers. The woman was found in a flat in the northern French town of Forbach, on the border with Germany, and was immediately rushed to hospital. Pictured: The building on Forbach’s Saint-Rémy Avenue where the woman was held, according to local media
Officers warned their French counterparts across the border in the Moselle region, who conducted a search of the Forbach flat a day later, on August 7.
When initially confronted by police, the man allegedly denied officers access to the flat. Nevertheless, the officials managed to get in.
Inside, they made the horrifying discovery and found the frightened victim locked in a “shielded room,” French media reported, citing a police source.
It said that her head was shaved, that there were signs of broken legs and fingers, and that she hadn’t eaten in a long time.
Police said the bedroom was closed off with metal wire.
She was attended to by medics and immediately taken to hospital, while the man – previously unknown to the police – was apprehended.
A case has been opened by investigators from the Metz Judicial Police who reportedly found a ‘torture bench’ in the home, as well as a notebook in which the man allegedly noted the time of day when he had fed the alleged victim.
Officials also found metal reinforcements on the windows, though officers noted that the apartment is also home to a dozen cats and that fences could have been put in place to prevent the animals from escaping.
The man is charged with kidnapping, aggravated rape and acts of torture and barbarism, reports say.