Fritzl trial starts in Austria

A man has gone on trial in Austria accused of imprisoning his daughter for 24 years and fathering her seven children.

Josef Fritzl held a blue file folder over his face as he was escorted into the courthouse in St Poelten, west of Vienna, where he is on trial for murder, rape, incest, coercion, false imprisonment and enslavement.

Police say the 73-year-old confessed to holding his daughter in a cell he built beneath his home.

Investigators say DNA tests show he fathered her six surviving children.

One of the children died in infancy, and prosecutors charged Fritzl with murder, contending that the baby might have survived if he had arranged for medical care.

Fritzl faces up to life imprisonment. A verdict is expected by Friday.

Fritzl's voice was weak and soft as he gave the judge his name and other personal details today.

Before the trial got under way, his lawyer, Rudolf Mayer, told The Associated Press his client was nervous.

“He told me ’I’m scared, Mr Mayer’,” the lawyer said.

Mr Mayer said he had no particular strategy for Fritzl’s defence. Earlier, in an interview with the AP, Mr Mayer said Fritzl would plead guilty to most of the charges but dispute the murder and enslavement counts.

Officials say Fritzl imprisoned and repeatedly raped his daughter, Elisabeth, over nearly a quarter of a century in the cramped and windowless dungeon he built beneath the family’s home in the western town of Amstetten. The crime stunned people worldwide when it came to light last April.

Security was tight in St Poelten. Police 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 pre-trial detention.

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

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 pre-recorded video testimony from both Elisabeth and one of her brothers, Harald.

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.