US man charged with rape, kidnap of 3 Cleveland women

US prosecutors have charged a Cleveland man with kidnapping and rape in the abductions of three young women who were held captive in his Ohio house for the past decade.

Prosecutors said on Wednesday that Ariel Castro, 52, would face three counts of rape and four counts of kidnapping involving victims Amanda Berry, 27, Gina DeJesus, 23 and Michelle Knight, 32. 

Castro was also charged with kidnapping in connection with Berry's six-year-old daughter, Jocelyn, alleged to have been born in captivity. 

Prosecutor Victor Perez said Ariel Castro would be arraigned at the city's municipal court on Thursday morning. 

Prosecutors brought no charges against Castro's two brothers, who were arrested along with him on Monday, saying there was no evidence they had any part in the crime. 

Knight remained in a Cleveland hospital, but Berry and DeJesus returned to their Cleveland homes on Wednesday. 

The three women were rescued from the Cleveland house on Monday, after one of them broke through a screen door to freedom while Castro was away. 

The three, who went missing between 2002 and 2004, were apparently bound with ropes and chains, and subjected to prolonged sexual and psychological abuse and suffered multiple miscarriages. 

"We know that the victims have confirmed miscarriages, but with who, how many and what conditions we don't know," according to city Councilman Brian Cummins. 

"It sounds pretty gruesome," he added. 

Ariel Castro, a former school bus driver, reportedly lured the victims into his car on separate occasions and kept their presence in his west Cleveland home a secret for more than a decade. 

MN/AS

Source: Press TV (09/05/2013): http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/05/09/302557/us-man-charged-with-rape-kidnapping/