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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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Fritzl Will Plead Insanity

Lawyer says man who raped daughter for 24 years' is mentally ill, not responsible for actions

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(Newser) – The man charged with imprisoning his daughter for 24 years and repeatedly raping her may not spend long behind bars, reports the Times of London, as Josef Fritzel's lawyer plans to plead insanity to avoid a prison term. “Josef Fritzl is mentally ill and therefore not responsible for his actions," and belongs "in a closed psychiatry ward," Rudolf Mayer said. 

If the court psychiatrist doesn't find Fritzl sufficiently crazy, Mayer can choose another doctor to evaluate his client. Meanwhile, further details of the saga emerged today, with the Times reporting that Elisabeth Fritzl was kept tethered for months, and that the growing second family occupied a single underground bunker room for 9 years—meaning that the children witnessed Fritzl's repeated abuse of their mother.

District governor Hans Heinz Lenze, left, and Dr. Berthold Kepplinger, medical head of the 'Mauer' hospital, are seen during a press conference Wednesday, April 30, 2008.
District governor Hans Heinz Lenze, left, and Dr. Berthold Kepplinger, medical head of the 'Mauer' hospital, are seen during a press conference Wednesday, April 30, 2008.   (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)
A nun writes down her comments and thoughts on a roll of paper in support of the Fritzl family. Friends of the family still grapple with how Josef Fritzl's crime could have happened in their midst.
A nun writes down her comments and thoughts on a roll of paper in support of the Fritzl family. Friends of the family still grapple with how Josef Fritzl's crime could have happened in their midst.   (AP Photo/Diether Endlicher)
Two policemen are seen at the backyard entrance of the Fritzl house as the gathering of evidence continues. Josef Fritzl intends to plead insanity, says his lawyer.
Two policemen are seen at the backyard entrance of the Fritzl house as the gathering of evidence continues. Josef Fritzl intends to plead insanity, says his lawyer.   (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)
Josef Fritzl will plead insanity in an attempt to avoid a prison sentence.
Josef Fritzl will plead insanity in an attempt to avoid a prison sentence.
Residents of Amstetten walk past a roll of paper inscribed with comments and thoughts in support of a family who became victims of a crime of incest and abuse in Amstetten.
Residents of Amstetten walk past a roll of paper inscribed with comments and thoughts in support of a family who became victims of a crime of incest and abuse in Amstetten.   (AP Photo/Diether Endlicher)
A car drives past the front of a house that was the scene of a crime of incest and abuse in Amstetten, Lower Austria, Saturday, May 3, 2008 as the gathering of evidence continues.
A car drives past the front of a house that was the scene of a crime of incest and abuse in Amstetten, Lower Austria, Saturday, May 3, 2008 as the gathering of evidence continues.   (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)
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Lawyer calls trial system in Austria a 'lottery'
Irish Times (Ireland)

Where the case is heading
Independent (UK)

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rape • sexual abuse • plea • insanity • incest • Josef Fritzl • Elisabeth Fritzl • Amstetten, Austria

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