The Austrian rapist monster who fathered several children with the daughter he locked in a secret cellar of a dungeon will surely soon be on his way out of prison again, his lawyer reveals.
Josef Fritzl, 89, who secretly imprisoned his daughter between 1984 and 2008, raped her thousands of times and had seven children with her. But today the Krems Regional Court met to decide whether to overturn a recent court ruling attempting to block her bid for freedom.
Speaking to MailOnline, her Vienna-based lawyer Dr Astrid Wagner said: ‘The court decision will be announced in writing in the coming days. But although I officially have to wait to receive the court decision in writing, I have already spoken to the different experts.’
“So it’s pretty much decided that my client will be released from the high-security prison, and he and I are very happy about that.”
“My client cooperated with experts, underwent countless medical evaluations, including brain scans, underwent therapy, and experts have long since concluded that he no longer poses a threat to society.”
Josef Fritzl, 89, who secretly imprisoned his daughter between 1984 and 2008, raped her thousands of times and had seven children with her. She is seen during her trial in 2009.
The Krems Regional Court met to decide whether to overturn a recent court ruling attempting to block his bid for freedom.
Speaking to MailOnline, her Vienna-based lawyer Dr Astrid Wagner said: ‘The court decision will be announced in writing in the coming days. But although I officially have to wait to receive the court decision in writing, I have already spoken to the different experts.’
In January 2024, the Krems Regional Court ruled that Fritzl no longer posed a threat to society and could therefore be transferred from a high-security prison to a regular prison.
“He is an older man, full of remorse for his crimes, and has repeatedly shown remorse for his crimes, and this must be recognized.”
“Society cannot choose who can benefit from the Austrian justice system: it is there for everyone in the country, and this includes my client, who has already served his prison sentence.”
In January 2024, the Krems Regional Court ruled that Fritzl no longer posed a threat to society and could therefore be transferred from a high-security prison to a regular prison.
This was then widely seen as the crucial first step in a process that could result in the terrifying prospect of Fritzl being released from prison.
But prosecutors later opposed this decision. And the Higher Regional Court in Vienna then ruled that “…the facts necessary for such a conditional release had not yet been fully clarified.”
The Vienna Regional Court opposed this measure and ruled that the Krems District Court had made a wrong decision and that Fritzl still had the potential for aggression and therefore remained a danger.
But today Fritzl’s lawyer managed to convince the court that his client is entitled to all the benefits of Austrian justice, including release from a high-security prison if he is not dangerous.
Fritzl, who changed his name to Mayrhoff in an alleged attempt to evade physical attacks from other inmates, was locked up in 2009 after admitting to raping his daughter Elisabeth (pictured) and fathering seven children with her.
Elisabeth and her children lived in the basement of the family home in Amstetten, while Fritzl and his wife Rosemarie lived upstairs.
Elisabeth lived in this narrow, dingy basement for 24 years with her children.
“Society cannot choose who can benefit from the Austrian justice system: it is there for everyone in the country, and this includes my client, who has already served his prison sentence.”
Fritzl’s heinous crimes, including rape, coercion and imprisonment, caused a stir in 2008.
For more than two decades, he held his daughter captive in a cramped, musty basement in Amstetten, Austria, and fathered seven children with her.
The discovery of his disgusting crimes came only when one of his daughters became seriously ill, forcing him to seek medical help.
Fritzl, who faced trial in March 2009 on a gruesome litany of charges, including murder, rape and slavery, was sentenced to life in prison.
However, with the progression of dementia, Fritzl’s future has become uncertain.
