Josef Fritzl - Slavery and Imprisonment Charges

Josef Fritzl - Slavery and Imprisonment Charges - Latest News and Information

Austria: Dungeon man faces slavery charge
- 4 August 2008 - CNN

A prosecutor says Josef Fritzl, the man who held his daughter captive for 24 years in a cellar and fathered seven children with her, may be charged with slavery. Fritzl initially confessed to raping his daughter and having seven children with her. St. Poelten prosecutor Gerhard Sedlacek also says authorities hope to have formal charges -- likely to include a series of crimes -- ready by the end of September and that a trial would likely begin in December.

Josef Fritzl's wife 'living like an animal' - 4 August 2008 - The Telegraph
The wife of Josef Fritzl has revealed how she has been forced to "live like an animal" because she is afraid to be seen out in public. Elisabeth threw Rosemarie out of the villa because the three grandchildren she brought up still called her "mum". They claim Rosemarie is now struggling to survive on benefits of £300 a month and has lost a considerable amount of weight since the incest was uncovered in April. ..... her sister Christine, ..... said Rosemarie felt let down by the authorities. "My sister has totally lost it,"...... "She is also a victim and cannot understand that she does not get any help from anyone."

Austrian incest father Josef Fritzl may be charged with slavery - 4 August 2008 - The Times

Austrian prosecutors are debating whether to charge incest offender Josef Fritzl with slavery, in a last ditch attempt to maximise the time he serves in jail, according to press reports.

Mr Fritzl, has admitted to imprisoning his daughter Elisabeth for 24 years in a purpose-build concrete dungeon .... where she was forced to give birth to seven of his children.

One of the children, a baby boy called Michael, died shortly after birth ...... But despite his partial confession, it was revealed last month that Mr Fritzl could only be facing ten years in prison because Austrian law, unlike British law, does not allow for multiple convictions, and because the only charge certain to be proved in court was that of incarceration.

Austrian prosecutors are now considering whether they can charge Mr Fritzl with slavery, under Paragraph 104 of the Austrian Penal Code - a crime originally deriving from the country’s 19th century law, that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

It was a distinguished university professor of criminal law, who has not been named, who suggested the slavery charges, according to press reports.

Judge Kurt Leitzenberger, head of the St Pölten Regional Court where Mr Fritzl will stand trial, told The Times: “The case is singular in the country’s history and there is no legal precedent to draw experience from. Compiling the charges against the suspect is a delicate procedure for a number of reasons and prosecutors are carefully examining all possibilities.”

Mr Fritzl is facing a string of charges including rape, incarceration, incest and coercion, as well as manslaughter for the baby that died. But prosecutors fear that the manslaughter changes could be “extremely difficult” to prove because so much time had elapsed since the death of the newborn in 1996. There is a similar problem with the rape charges, for which there is lack of forensic evidence.

The only serious crime that Mr Fritzl is certain to be convicted for is incarceration, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.

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Josef Fritzl - Other Cases of Abduction and Imprisonment of Adults and Children
HISTORICAL CASES OF ABDUCTION, IMPRISONMENT, SEXUAL ABUSE & MURDER OF ADULTS AND CHILDREN By Parents and Strangers

Slavery, Servitude, Forced or Compulsory Labour - UDHR, ECHR & UKHRA
AN INTRODUCTION TO SLAVERY, SERVITUDE AND FORCED OR COMPULSORY LABOUR