3:52pm UK, Tuesday September 07, 2010

Andy Winter, Sky News Online

A father has been accused of repeatedly raping one of his daughters and keeping another locked in a small room for a year.

Jeffrey York’s family claim he shut them off from society, abusing them physically and mentally over a period of 15 years at their farm in Madison Township in Ohio.

The 47-year-old is now facing 19 charges, including rape of a girl under the age of 13. He has denied them all.

The case has similarities with that of Josef Fritzl – the Austrian who held his daughter captive in a secret basement room for decades, fathering seven children with her.

A neighbour has said York often behaved strangely. Picture: Fox 8

Five girls and two boys aged between three months and 19 lived in the house with York and his wife.

Describing it as one of the most disturbing cases he has ever investigated, Detective Dan Boerner has told Fox 8 that there are “multiple allegations involving multiple victims”.

He said one of the girls was forced to live in a room not much larger than a wardrobe, occasionally being let out to use the toilet.

The children were home educated and forbidden from having friends, according to Mr Boerner – and they were too intimidated by their father to get help.

York would apparently roam the farm wearing a miner’s helmet

Neighbour Allan Smith has told Fox 8 that York displayed strange behaviour, firing guns in the middle of the night and wandering around the farm wearing a miner’s helmet.

He said: “They were the kind of people you’d say to yourself ‘one day we’re going to be sitting here talking to the news’.”

The alleged abuse came to light in December when York’s wife went to police with the claims.

Since then, the mother and children have been sheltered.

The case has echoes of Josef Fritzl