ARIEL CASTRO, the fiend who kept 3 women captive in his sick House of Horrors, received a life sentence -- plus 1,000 years for his heinous crimes.
Castro, 53, apologized to his victims in a rambling, defiant statement before sentencing. He blamed his sex addiction and on others (natch) claiming most of the sex was consensual and that the women were never tortured.
BONUS plea point: NOT tortured. Just abducted, held captive and repeatedly raped for over a decade.
"These people are trying to paint me as a monster," the delusional Castro said. "I'm not a monster. I'm sick."
Before sentencing, Michelle Knight, one of three women he kidnapped stood within feet from the venal fiend, confronting him.
"You took 11 years of my life away and I have got it back," Knight said. "I spent 11 years in hell. Now your hell is just beginning."