Elisabeth Fritzl, Natascha Kampusch And Austria
ELISABETH Fritzl was locked in a cellar for 24 years by her father, by whom she gave birth to seven children.
DAILY MIRROR (front page): “SLAVE IN CELLAR FOR 24 YEARS”
Say neighbours of Josef in Amstetten, Austria: “It’s incredible. He seemed such a harmless old man.”
That’s Josef. Or Joseph, as she soon becomes.
Astonishingly Elisabeth, 42, lived with three of the youngsters in the 1.7metre-high dungeon reached through a garage and accessible only by an electronic lock with a special code.
THE SUN: “7 kids by my dungeon dad”
The horror was only revealed after the 19-year-old fell critically ill — and evil Josef was forced to take the girl to hospital.
Doctors found a handwritten note in unconscious Kerstin’s pocket. It was from her mum — begging medics to save her daughter.
DAILY EXPRESS (front page): “Ordeal of girl held in cellar for 24 years”
Elisabeth Fritzl is 42.
Police say she appeared “greatly disturbed”
DAILY MAIL (front page): “GIRL LOCKED IN A CELLAR FOR 24 YEARS”
In the case of Miss Fritzl, she was kept locked in a series of narrow, windowless rooms with ceilings about 5ft 6in high that were accessed by a door hidden behind a cupboard with a security code that only the father knew.
The Mail will not go metric, unlike the compliant Mirror.
She said that on August 28, 1984, when she was 18, he lured her to the basement and drugged and handcuffed her before locking her up.
The following day her parents reported her missing and her details were circulated by Interpol. But a month later it was assumed she had disappeared voluntarily when her parents claimed to have received a letter from her asking them to stop searching.
It was believed she had joined a cult and police stopped looking for her. In fact she was in the cellar and was “continuously abused” during the 24 years, said police.
THE INDEPENDENT: “Austrian ‘locked up daughter for 24 years and fathered seven children with her'”
The case has strong similarities to the kidnap of Natascha Kampusch, a Viennese girl held in a basement for eight years from the age of 10 before she escaped in August 2006.
THE TIMES (front page): “Another story of abuse emerges from Austria”
Between 1993 and 2000, Mr F allegedly maintained an elaborate pretence. On three occasions he claimed that the children of his missing daughter had been mysteriously dumped on him and that she had then disappeared. The three accounted for in this way were formally adopted and allowed to attend school. “Their behaviour was good and their marks were too,” a school spokesman said. The other three, however, were more difficult to explain away – and were condemned to the dungeon.
Posted: 28th, April 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Tabloids Comments (48) | TrackBack | Permalink
