DNA 'backs Austrian incest claim' (BBC News)

DNA evidence supports an Austrian man's confession that he fathered six children by his daughter while keeping her prisoner for 24 years, police say. Lower Austria police chief Franz Polzer said Josef Fritzl, 73, had completely deceived his wife, his family and the authorities in the town of Amstetten. Hospital officials meanwhile said Mr Fritzl's daughter and her children had experienced an "astonishing" reunion. They met at the clinic where they are receiving psychiatric treatment. Earlier, Mr Fritzl was detained for a further 14 days by a regional court in the provincial capital of St Poelton. On the advice of his lawyer, he did not speak to the examining magistrate. His lawyer told the BBC that although Mr Fritzl showed no signs of remorse, he looked very sad and "emotionally broken". Reunion Speaking at a news conference in Amstetten afterwards, the director of the psychiatric clinic at a local hospital said Fritzl's daughter Elizabeth, now 42, had been reunited with five of her six children and her mother there on Sunday morning. "It was astonishing how easily it happened - how the mother and grandmother came together," Berthold Kepplinger said. Three of the children were kept in the cellar with their mother and had never seen daylight. The other three were adopted or fostered by Mr Fritzl, after he forced Elisabeth to write letters saying she could not look after them. The eldest, 19-year-old Kerstin, became seriously ill earlier this month and had to be taken to hospital, where she is currently in a coma. She was imprisoned by Mr Fritzl along with her 18- and 5-year-old brothers. Police have said there is no evidence to suggest the grandmother, Rosemarie, nor any of the seven children she had with Mr Fritzl, were aware of any of the alleged crimes. Mr Kepplinger said the family members had interacted very naturally, although he said two of the children who had spent their lives underground had a way of communicating that was "anything but normal". "The children are quite well, they are under investigation, there is a professional team consisting of psychiatrists, neurologists, psychotherapists, speech therapists, physiotherapists, a whole team is working on this," he said. "One important thing is not to over treat them." Mr Kepplinger said Elisabeth had spoken "quite a lot" about what she had gone through in captivity, but declined to provide details. "It was definitely dreadful for her and for her children," he added. 'Decisive evidence' Speaking at the same news conference, police officials said their investigations and genetic evidence gathered since Sunday had confirmed statements made by Elisabeth and Mr Fritzl's confession. "The DNA tests provided decisive evidence that the six children that Elisabeth gave birth to have the same father," Franz Polzer said. Mr Polzer said that letters which Mr Fritzl had forced Elisabeth to write had played an important part in deceiving his family and the authorities since her disappearance in 1984, when he allegedly lured her into the cellar of their house and locked her up. The first letter said Elisabeth had run away, joined a religious sect and asked police not to look for her. Others explained why she had left three of the children on the doorstep of the family home over the years. Mr Polzer said the last two letters Elisabeth was forced to write had provided considerable evidence to confirm her allegations. The second to last was found in the clothes of Kerstin, when she was admitted to hospital on 19 April. Mr Fritzl also had another letter with him, Mr Polzer said, where his daughter raises the possibility of returning to the family, bringing with her two sons, aged 18 and five years old. Mr Polzer said Mr Fritzl had shown the last letter to police as evidence that he did not know about his daughter's whereabouts."The biological tests show clearly that this letter, a normal letter with a stamp, was without doubt created by one Josef Fritzl," he added. "You can be sure that this man left nothing undone in order to deceive the family, his wife, the relatives, the children and everybody around him," he added. "He had no scruples to use every possible means to deceive the public and cover up his crime." Mr Polzer said official records showed that Mr Fritzl had no criminal convictions from the past 15 years and that the statute of limitations would apply to any earlier offences he may have committed.

Channel: News & Politics
Uploaded: April 29, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Author: time4justice

Length: 03:32
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Tags: Abuser  Admits  Austrian  Cellar  Children's  DNA  Franz  Fritzl  Injustice  Josef  Now  Polzer  Prison  Secret  Shocking  Stop  Torture  

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