SARREGUEMINES, France (Reuters) – A German woman who had called police for help from her residence in eastern France on Sunday, alleging she had been imprisoned for over a decade by her husband, was not a victim of any such crime, a French prosecutor said on Tuesday.
The 55-year-old husband, also a German national, has been held in police custody since Monday but will be released later on Tuesday, local public prosecutor Olivier Glady told a news conference.
The 53-year old woman, who had rung German police, who in turn contacted French police, suffered from illnesses that left her bedridden, Glady said.
“The situation of sequestration that she (the wife) kept complaining about (since Monday) did not exist,” Glady said, citing official investigations carried out over the past day.
“The allegations by the woman are not backed by any police findings,” Glady said, adding there had been thorough medical and police checks following her allegations of having been imprisoned, raped and tortured by her husband.
The case had grabbed headlines in both countries over the past few days. There were no reports in local media of comments made by either the wife, her husband or their legal representatives.
Glady said the couple had not registered with the French medical system, had not been registered with German health authorities for years or been in touch with their families.
(Reporting by Timm Reichert and Max Schwarz; writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
