An Austrian court said on Tuesday it had ruled that the country’s most infamous living criminal, 89-year-old incestuous rapist Josef Fritzl, could be transferred to regular prison from a prison psychiatric unit.
A transfer could eventually pave the way for his conditional release from prison, and his lawyer Astrid Wagner has said she would apply for such a release within a year of his transfer.
Fritzl, who has now changed his name, raped his daughter as he held her captive for 24 years, fathering seven children.
He was pictured for the first time in 15 years iearlier this year while being driven to court.
It comes after his lawyer Astrid Wagner announced he was applying for early release from jail on the grounds of old age and dementia, paving the way for his eventual move to a nursing home.
He has been in a prison for “mentally abnormal” inmates since his conviction in 2009 for incest, rape, enslavement, coercion and the murder, by neglect, of his newborn son.
“He was a bit close to tears as he said once again that what he did was a terrible thing, and that he feels incredibly sorry for these people and that he wishes that he could undo it,” Ms Wagner said.
Despite suffering from dementia, the rapist was able to follow proceedings. It followed a psychiatric assessment that he no longer posed a threat of reoffending, according to reports.
From regular prison he can request to be released from prison altogether. Ms Wagner said she planned to submit such a request next year.
“His everyday life will remain similar. Prison is prison,” Ms Wagner said, adding that he would continue to receive psychotherapy.
In 2008, his daughter managed to tell police that he was holding her captive. As a 42-year-old, she said she had been held underground for 24 years and abused since the age of 11.
Fritzl lured her into the cellar, built in the style of a cold war bunker, when she was 18. He told his wife and family acquaintances that she had run away to join a cult.