In a rambling statement before a packed court, Ariel Castro denied being abusive and claimed he was addicted to porn.

'I'm not a violent person," Castro said at his sentencing Thursday. "I simply kept them there without them being able to leave."

His words came soon after Michelle Knight, one of the three women he kept prisoner in his home, spoke out about her 11 years trapped in his "hell."

Castro denied beating and torturing the women and insisted that most of the sex was consensual. "I just wanted to clear the record that I'm not a monster," he said.

He apologized to the victims, but went on to say that there was "a lot of harmony going on" in the home in which the women were held as prisoners.

According to 19 Action News Investigative Reporter Scott Taylor, Castro also asked prosecutors why they had to tear down his house. "I have so many beautiful memories there with Amanda," he said.

Castro pleaded guilty to 937 counts, including aggravated murder, kidnapping, rape and assault. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 1,000 years.