Belgian held for locking up boyfriend for 5 months

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A Belgian woman who kept her former boyfriend barricaded in her home for nearly 5 months was arrested and charged with false imprisonment, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

The woman locked the man in her home in the town of Lessines, about 50 km (30 miles) west of Brussels, after breaking off their relationship in December.

Officials said her brother and new boyfriend, who had moved into the house, were also charged. All three face potential jail terms of one to five years.

"The former partner was mistreated and he was not well fed," a court official in the town of Tournai said, adding he had been allowed to move around within the house.

The woman's father informed police after a family argument. The police moved in on Monday.

The 29-year-old man was being sought by police at the time of his imprisonment as he had been convicted of drug dealing and appeared to have absconded. He is now in jail.