Fritzl Served Time for Rape in 1960s

It seems Josef Fritzl’s daughter wasn’t the only woman he abused. Fritzl was a known sex offender even before his basement of horrors came to light, with prior convictions for a rape, an attempted rape, and public exposure, the Times of London reports. It’s a major embarrassment for Amstetten police, who had claimed Fritzl had no criminal record.  

“As soon as I saw his picture on TV I knew: It was him,” says one victim, recalling how Fritzl snuck in through her bedroom window in 1967 and put a knife to her throat. “I recognized him by the eyes. I could not sleep the whole night after that.” Fritzl served 18 months for the rape. A second woman escaped an attack, and a third says Fritzl raped her in 1967, though she didn't report it at the time. (More Josef Fritzl stories.)