(Newser)
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An Austrian man accused of imprisoning his daughter as a sex slave in a dungeon for 24 years and fathering her seven children is a convicted sex offender, the London Times reports. No details were immediately available, but neighbors reported avoiding the home of Josef Fritzl, 73, because of rumors he had raped a woman.
Fritzl, described as "tyrannical," has confessed to keeping his daughter and three of their children captive but is unrepentant, said police, who described the crime as one of the "all-time worst." The victims remained hospitalized for intensive treatment. Authorities said Fritzl's sons, 18 and 5 years old, appear surprisingly well adjusted. The eldest, a 19-year-old daughter, is seriously ill and in an induced coma.
