Jailed for life

NO MERCY FOR THE MONSTERS

HE DESERVED THE PUNISHEMENT

ST POELTEN (AUSTRIA): Josef Fritzl, the 'monster dad' who treated his daughter as a sex slave for 24 years, was yesterday found guilty of murder by neglect and sentenced to life imprisonment. The 73-year-old pensioner, who was also convicted of rape, incest, forced imprisonment and coercion, remained composed and nodded his head to indicate he understood, when Judge Andrea Humer told him his sentence. He has waived his right to appeal.

Fritzl kidnapped Elisabeth on Aug 29, 1984 when she was just 18, and incarcerated her below his home in the Austrian town of Amstetten for 24 years. During that time, he raped her an estimated 3,000 times and fathered seven children. His wife, Rosemarie, 69, had no inkling of the abuses and believed Fritzl's explanation of Elisabeth's disappearance - that she had run off to join a sect. His crimes came to light only last April, when Elizabeth's eldest child became seriously ill and he took her to hospital. Doctors alerted the police. [Source: Singapore The Straits Times]