WARSAW: A man in Poland is accused of holding and abusing a woman in a pigsty for more than five years, according to a report by the Polsat News channel on Sunday, citing information from the public prosecutor’s office, as reported by the German news agency (dpa).
The 35-year-old man is accused of subjecting the woman, who was five years younger than him, to severe physical and psychological abuse, including repeated rape, and treating her with extreme cruelty.
Her access to water and hygiene products was restricted. The situation is being investigated.
If convicted, the man from the village of Gaiki near Głogów in western Poland could face up to 25 years in prison.
A hospital had alerted the authorities, after the woman was brought to the hospital because of a dislocated shoulder, the public prosecutor in Głogów told the broadcaster.
The extent of her older injuries shocked the doctors.
The woman had given birth to a child in the hospital some time ago but was given up for adoption, Polsat News reported.
“I couldn’t tell the doctors the truth, I was scared because he threatened me that it would get worse if I complained,“ the 30-year-old told the local news portal MyGłogów.pl.
A house search was ordered and authorities are to apply for an arrest warrant.
The local news portal reported that the woman had met the man online in 2019.
The village of Gaiki is located almost 90 kilometres north-west of Wrocław.
-- BERNAMA-dpa
