Incest trial resumes in Austria

Agence France-Presse

Austrian media ran damning stories on the 73-year-old who on the first day of the trial admitted incest, rape and sequestration but denied the most serious charges of murder and slavery which could see him jailed for life. "This is the face of evil," said the Kleine Zeitung daily alongside a picture of Fritzl hiding his face at trial opening. "A coward till the end," added the Kronen Zeitung tabloid.

Fritzl’s lawyer, Rudolf Mayer, said that his client was "cooperating" and had "answered all the questions from the court."

The trial is largely being held behind closed doors to protect Elisabeth Fritzl and her six surviving children, who have all taken refuge at a psychiatric clinic for the duration of the hearings. During opening statements, prosecutor Christiane Burkheiser said Fritzl had used Elisabeth as a "toy" during her quarter century of enslavement in a narrow cellar. Fritzl raped his daughter in front of her own children, she added. "He came (to the cellar). Lights out. Rape. Lights on."