Man tortured in attic for weeks found

HAMILTON, Ontario, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Canadian police in Hamilton, Ontario, have charged three people in the near-fatal beating of a man found in an attic where he had been kept for weeks.

Police revealed limited details Tuesday about the discovery of the unidentified 22-year-old man, who remained hospitalized in serious condition Wednesday, the Hamilton Spectator reported.

The man was found after police responded a second time to a noise dispute between neighbors in a triplex, Hamilton police Superintendent Bill Stewart said. Tenants on the second floor complained twice about banging and yelling from the third floor. On the second visit, officers found the victim locked in the attic, near death with skull fractures, burns and evidence of beatings, he said.

"In 32 years of policing, these are the most disturbing and disgusting acts I have ever seen," Stewart said. "The motive can be best described as sadistic in nature."

A second-floor tenant said her upstairs neighbors explained the noise was from their training for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the report said.

The three suspects were charged with aggravated assault and forcible confinement, and a fourth person is being sought, police said.