Authorities in Austria are concerned that Josef Fritzl, who kept his daughter locked in a cellar for 24 years and fathered seven chilren by her, may never stand trial. Originally, it was predicted that the trial would start in the autumn this year. However, prosecutors now feel that it may be two years before Elisabeth Fritzl and her children, who were confined with her, may take at least two years to be ready to give evidence at a trial.
Meanwhile, it is reported widely that Josef Fritzl is afraid to leave his prison cell for fear of being attacked by fellow prisoners.
The Daily Star
"Violent lags there call him Satan and have vowed to kill him."
Typical Daily Star language. Anyone who is in prison is a, "violent lag." Yet it seems to me that ordinary prisoners tend to have some kind of code of conduct with regard to children. This is why the, "nonces," are kept separate from the general prison population. Someone may be incarcerated for crimes against other adults of a fairly serious nature, but crimes against children are very different and those who commit crimes against children are likely to be targeted.
Ninemsn Australia
"Inmates vow to kill 'Satan' Fritz"
"Inmates at the prison where Josef Fritzl is locked up have branded the Austrian criminal "Satan" and vowed to kill him, a former prisoner has claimed.
Fritzl, who held his daughter captive for 24 years in an underground den and had seven children by her, has refused to leave his cell for fear of being attacked, according to the inmate.
"At night the other cons shout out 'We're going to get you Satan, come out and play', and they bang on the door when they walk past his cell," he was quoted in the Austrian Times as saying."
And then there's Fritzl's heart condition.
"Cellar monster Josef Fritzl could cheat justice by dying before his trial, it was feared last night.The 73-year-old has a heart condition and doctors want to test him for an unspecified blood disease.
An inmate released from the Austrian jail where Fritzl is being held, said: "He really looks unwell. He's lost a lot of weight and hasn't left his cell for fear of being attacked. He is suffering."
"London: Austrian incest fiend Josef Fritzl, who imprisoned his daughter in a cellar for 24 years and fathered seven kids with her, might never face trial for his evil deeds, it has emerged."
"Police officials fear that the 73-year-old brute who has a heart condition – will die in prison before his victims reveal exactly what happened to them."
"They say daughter Elisabeth, 42, is still too traumatised to be quizzed, reports The Sun."
"And police have been unable to question the three of her seven kids fathered by Fritzl who also lived in the cellar. Medical experts have warned cops it could be two years before the victims reveal all about the cellar in the Austrian town of Amstetten."
I do wonder if it would be a welcome release for Elisabeth and her children if they did not have to go through that. If Josef Fritzl were to die before the case came to trial, Elisabeth and the children could possibly just get on with trying to make a life for themselves and not have to face the glare of the world's media and they would know that the man being called, "The Austrian Monster," was gone from the world and their lives.
