Throughout this time, neighbors claim having had no knowledge of the abuse, despite living just meters away.
The 30-year-old victim, named by police as Małgorzata, was repeatedly hospitalized with severe injuries during her captivity.
Each time, she refused to alert the authorities.
According to prosecutors, she endured unimaginable torment, including being starved, beaten and sexually assaulted.
The alleged abuser, a 35-year-old man identified only as Mateusz J., reportedly met Małgorzata on a dating website.
Their relationship began consensually, but over time Mateusz turned violent, imprisoning Małgorzata in a makeshift cell in his barn.
He was arrested after one of her hospital visits, when she finally revealed the extent of the abuse.
"The charges involve extreme cruelty and torment, with the victim being held in a state of dependency, locked in a room without access to daylight, water or power, deprived of food, and subjected to physical and sexual abuse," said Liliana Łukasiewicz from the Legnica District Prosecutor's Office in Poland's southwest.
A local resident who lived next door to the old barn where the abuse took place, expressed shock.
"I’ve lived here for three years," she said. "We never heard anything. My husband was painting boards right outside, and still nothing. How could he have soundproofed it so well that we didn’t hear?"
Mateusz J., who had been actively searching for a partner for years, is known in the village for his unsuccessful approaches towards women.
Despite his arrest, he denies the allegations.
The shed where all of this took place stands a few meters away from the house where the alleged perpetrator was living with his parents, who supported him financially.
The parents insist that they were completely unaware of what was happening.
"We didn’t know anything," said Mateusz’s father. "It's probably not true. How could this be, for four years, without us noticing?"
Throughout her captivity, Małgorzata was hospitalized multiple times, arriving for treatment of broken limbs and severe beatings, with a shaved head. On each occasion, she denied being a victim of violence.
Her final hospitalization occurred when she was about to give birth. Mateusz J. was allegedly pressuring her into giving up the newborn for adoption.
Prosecutors continue to investigate the full extent of the woman's ordeal, while Mateusz J. remains in custody.
(rt/gs)
Source: tvn24.pl