Cleveland accused denies attack

The accused appeared in court in Cleveland

A convicted US sex offender from Cleveland has pleaded not guilty to an attack that led to a search of his house and the discovery of 11 bodies.

Anthony Sowell pleaded not guilty to charges of rape, kidnapping, attempted murder and felonious assault, the Associated Press reports.

The charges were made after Mr Sowell's arrest last month.

The 50-year-old suspect spent 15 years in prison after being convicted of attempted rape.

Judge John O'Donnell set a bond of $1m (£600,000) on the charges and continued Mr Sowell's $5m bond from last week, when he was charged with five counts of aggravated murder.

He also appointed a lawyer for Mr Sowell. The lawyer, Brian McGraw, had no immediate comment.

Funerals

Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, with his hands cuffed in front of him, Mr Sowell appeared engaged and alert, at times bouncing slightly on his feet, AP reported.

Gayle Williams, assistant county prosecutor, said the woman who accuses him of rape remains very fearful of him and is concerned for her safety.

"She was only breaths away from becoming another victim of Mr Sowell," the assistant prosecutor alleged.

Remains from 10 of the 11 bodies found at Mr Sowell's home have led to identifications and funerals for the women are to continue this weekend.

Most appear to have been poor black women with drug addictions.

The case has prompted calls for Cleveland police to respond faster and devote more resources to missing-person cases.