|
Incest father a model prisoner
02/05/2008 12:12 - (SA)
Amstetten - The Austrian father who forced his daughter to bear seven of his children and held her captive for more than two decades is receiving special protection in prison, its director said on Thursday.
Guenther Moerwald, head of the Sankt Poelten jail, said inmates locked up on child abuse charges, particularly those who generated heavy coverage in the media, were frequent targets of attacks by other prisoners.
"There is no specific reason to believe that he is in danger," Moerwald told Austrian news agency APA.
"But based on our experience with shocking offences, particularly when children are the victims, there is a greater need to protect the suspect."
Josef Fritzl, 73, has admitted to holding his daughter Elisabeth captive for 24 years in a dank dungeon he built beneath his home, raping her regularly and impregnating her seven times.
Three of the youngsters were locked up with her in the secret chamber while one died shortly after birth.
The other three "grandchildren" were adopted by Josef and his wife Rosemarie, who said she had no inkling of her daughter's fate.
A DNA test has proved Fritzl is the father of Elisabeth's six children.
Moerwald described Fritzl as a model prisoner - "quiet, inconspicuous, calm".
He has been in a 12-square-metre cell with another prisoner since he was remanded in custody Tuesday but is being sequestered from the other inmates.
Fritzl, who could face life imprisonment if convicted, is awakened by guards at 06:00 and allowed to walk in the courtyard for an hour each day.
His cell is outfitted with a television and he may order books and newspapers.
Lights go out is at 22:00.
|
News
