Austrian incest trial to start amid tight security

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-03-15 21:22

ST. POELTEN, Austria -- A no-fly zone above the courthouse. Restricted access for reporters. Victims protected by guards.

The trial of an Austrian man who allegedly held his daughter as a sex slave for 24 years and fathered her seven children starts Monday amid tight security and intense media interest.

Authorities say Josef Fritzl confessed to imprisoning and repeatedly raping his daughter Elisabeth over nearly a quarter of a century in a cramped and windowless dungeon he built beneath the family's home. The scandal shocked the world when it came to light last April.

Prosecutors have charged Fritzl with murder by neglect, saying a child who died in infancy in 1996 could have survived if taken to a doctor. He also stands accused of rape, incest, coercion, false imprisonment and enslavement.

Rudolf Mayer, Fritzl's lawyer, said the 73-year-old will plead guilty to most of the charges but dispute the murder and enslavement counts. A verdict is expected by Friday.

In Austria, which does not have the death penalty, murder carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. If convicted of enslavement, Fritzl could face up to 20 years behind bars. For rape, he could get up to 15. The conviction with the highest penalty will determine the length of the sentence.

Josef Fritzl

Although fewer than 100 reporters will be allowed inside the St. Poelten courthouse, roughly 100 more were expected to gather outside the building early Monday to report about Fritzl, dubbed by some as the "Dungeon Dad."

To intercept troublemakers, officials in this normally quiet town of about 51,000 some 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Vienna have taken some unusual steps.

Police have imposed a no-fly zone above the courthouse to dissuade reporters from renting helicopters for aerial shots -- and to prevent prison breaks from the jail next door where Fritzl has been in pretrial detention.

"We just want to be sure nothing happens," said Johann Goetz, a St. Poelten police official.

Only journalists with accreditation will be allowed inside the courtroom and the area surrounding the courthouse will be blocked off.

Mayer welcomed the stepped up security, saying both he and Fritzl had received threats over the past year.

"There's a possibility something could happen but due to the security measures in place I can't imagine that any attempts could be carried out," Mayer said.

Fritzl's now infamous home in Amstetten, a working-class town west of Vienna, also appears to have been fortified to keep out prying paparazzi.

On Friday afternoon, a photographer saw men wearing police jackets and carrying tools entering the property and appear to secure a back entrance. Local police, when asked for details, said they could not divulge any information for "tactical reasons."

Three of the incest offspring grew up underground in Amstetten, never seeing the light of day. The other three were brought upstairs to be raised by Fritzl and his wife, Rosemarie, who apparently believed they had been abandoned.

The children, together with Elisabeth, initially recovered from their ordeal in a psychiatric clinic and then were moved to a secret location. Seeking refuge from reporters, they have since returned to the clinic where security guards are on high alert.

None of the victims is expected to testify in court. Instead, the eight-member jury will see prerecorded video testimony from both Elisabeth and one of her brothers, Harald.

Mayer suggested the jury may be too influenced by past media coverage of the case to reach an objective verdict.

"I can only hope that the jury ... won't automatically assume that my client is a monster as described by the media but will listen to him as a person, judge his personality and then base their verdict only on what is presented during the trial," he said.

Mayer said Fritzl regretted his actions and was nervous about the proceedings, but planned to tell the court about "everything the way it was."