Incest Father Condemned to Life Sentence, in Psychiatric Facility

It is curtains at last to the incest saga of Josef Fritzl. The 73-year-old Austrian was sentenced to life imprisonment Thursday, but he would spend the time in a psychiatric facility.

The retired electrical engineer was found guilty of all charges against him, including rape, incest, murder and enslavement.

He showed no obvious emotion at the verdict, telling the court that he accepted it and would not appeal.

The judge at a court in St Poelten said he could speak to his lawyer but he shook his head. Then he was led out of court with an impassive face.

Fritzl's lawyer, Rudolf Mayer, said outside the court after the verdict: "He showed in his confession that he realises the dimension of his crimes and offences and as such the verdict is the logical consequence."

The life sentence was delivered for the crime of murder by neglect of one of the children, who died soon after birth.

The jury unanimously accepted prosecutors' arguments that the child could have survived if it had received medical care denied by Fritzl.

The defendant first denied murder and enslavement but changed his plea to guilty after seeing testimony from his daughter.

Court officials said Fritzl would be sent first to a co-ordination centre, where it would be determined how dangerous he was and whether he was able to undergo therapy, before being moved to a psychiatric facility.

He could in theory be released from the facility if he is deemed to be cured of his illness and would serve the remainder of his sentence in a normal prison.

In this case he will be eligible for release after 15 years.



Source-Medindia
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