Woman with MS imprisoned in cabin by partner for nine years

A 68-YEAR-OLD Swedish woman suffering from multiple sclerosis was imprisoned in a small cabin for nine years.

Her partner, who is 10 years her junior, was remanded in custody yesterday, on suspicion of unlawfully detaining the pensioner in the 15sq m cabin.

Police found the woman, who weighed less than six stone, at the cabin at a camping site near the town of Jonkoping in central Sweden.

They made the shocking discovery while investigating allegations made by other people that her partner had been abusing her.

He was brought in for questioning last Wednesday and during interrogation police decided to go to the cabin, where they found the near helpless woman. She was rushed to a local hospital, where she was said to be in a serious condition.

“We suspect a man of having held a woman captive against her will for several years, and of having mistreated her during that time,” said a police spokesman.

Police have not revealed the identity of either the man or the woman.

However, it has been claimed that the man was declared “officially dead” in Sweden’s national registry eight years ago, and people living in the Jonkoping area knew him by a completely different name.

It is believed the couple had been living together for some time.

Local media reported that they had “lived on the fringe of society” since moving into the Jonkoping area in 1999.

The man was remanded in custody at a court in nearby Eksjo yesterday afternoon.

Prosecutor Klas Hellgren alleged that the man unlawfully imprisoned and abused the woman continuously during the past nine years.

The man, who denies the accusations, was remanded in custody pending the filing of formal charges.