Austrian mobster Josef Fritzl – who locked his daughter in a cellar for 24 years and had seven children with her – was seen smiling broadly after he won his bid to be transferred from a psychiatric unit to a traditional prison wing.
Thursday’s ruling clears the way for Fritzl, 88, to apply for release to a nursing home later this year.
He suffers from dementia and told a three-judge panel in Krems an der Donau how he deeply regretted locking his daughter, Elisabeth, in a basement room and dealt with the crime “seriously,” according to The Sun.
Fritzl also said he regularly read the case file at his 2009 prosecution, when he was convicted of slavery, rape, incest and “manslaughter by neglect.”
“He almost cried during the trial,” said his lawyer, Dr. Astrid Wagner, to reporters after the court hearing.
“He said he was so sorry for his victim, he would love to undo everything he did.”
Josef Fritzl, 88, is pictured being transported back to prison after winning a bid to be transferred to a traditional prison wing. AFP via Getty Images The decision came after psychiatrists concluded that the convicted killer was no longer a threat. AP
Under the terms of his release to the low-security wing, Fritzl will have to attend regular psychotherapy sessions and undergo a psychiatric evaluation for a 10-year probationary period.
“In short, the court has concluded that it is indeed the case that he is no longer dangerous,” Wagner said outside provincial court on Thursday.
The decision came after Austrian psychiatrist Heidi Kastner, who previously described Fritzl as “very psychologically abnormal” and “emotionally illiterate” concluded in a 28-page report that the convicted killer was no longer a threat.
His lawyer Astrid Wagner told reporters “the court has concluded… that he is no longer dangerous” after Thursday’s hearing. AFP via Getty Images
Fritzl appeared confused, often talking to TV, believing he was a pop star and discussing family visits that never happened, the report said, citing local media.
He also reportedly suffered several falls behind bars and required a walker.
Wagner said a new petition to move him to a nursing home “will happen soon,” claiming Fritzl “wants to continue the process” and is “very confident” his petition will be granted.
“He said ‘It’s in God’s hands, but also mine,'” the lawyer told The Sun.
But Thursday’s decision is not final, and requires further decisions by prosecutors — who have 14 days to appeal.
Fritzl had kept his daughter Elisabeth in a cellar for more than two decades after claiming she ran out and joined a cult. Three of the children born to Fritzl with his daughter live with him in the basement. AFP/Getty Images
Fritzl has kept his daughter in a cellar for more than two decades after claiming she ran out and joined a cult.
During that time, he drugged and abused Elisabeth, raping her more than 3,000 times and having seven children with her.
He also threw the body of one of the children who died shortly after birth into the furnace.
Of the seven children born to her daughter’s repeated abuse between the ages of 18 and 42, three remained in captivity with her and one died shortly after birth.
The others were raised by Fritzl and his wife, Rosemarie, after he claimed they had appeared on their doorstep.
Fritzl suffers from dementia and is reported to be talking to TV, believing he is a pop star and discussing visits from family members that never happened. AP
Fritzl’s crime was finally discovered in April 2008 after he took one of Elisabeth’s born children to hospital with a life-threatening illness.
Elisabeth and the children are now living in an undisclosed location under an assumed name.
The children – now aged between 17 and 31 – sleep in a room with the door constantly open after undergoing weekly therapy sessions to help them cope with the trauma of the dungeon.
With Postal wire.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
