Austrian sex monster Josef Fritzl has revealed what went through his mind as he plotted to imprison his own daughter for 24 years and father seven incestuous children with her.
The rapist’s thoughts have been exposed in a deeply disturbing memoir, Die Abgründe des Josef F (The Abysses Of Josef F), which was published in Germany, with the help of Austrian lawyer Astrid Wagner, last week.
Fritzl, who locked up and sexually abused his daughter Elisabeth, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2009 for incest, rape, coercion, false imprisonment, enslavement and for the negligent homicide of one of his infant sons.
His daughter disappeared in 1984 at the age of 18, and would not reappear until April 26, 2008, when she was discovered in a clandestine cellar beneath her father’s home in Amstetten, Austria.
Reflecting on his crimes, Fritzl, now 87, said in his memoir: ‘At first it was just a mind game I played. But I got used to it. The idea, which had previously seemed so absurd, so monstrous to me, took shape.
Josef Fritzl pleaded guilty to rape, false imprisonment, manslaughter by negligence and incest, and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 15 years
Fritzl repeatedly raped his daughter Elisabeth (pictured), fathering seven incestuous children with her during her captivity
‘One day I knew what I had to do. All that remained was to wait for the right opportunity. On that rainy Saturday morning the time had come. The thought had become action.’
Fritzl intricately set up his underground prison, which featured a heavy metal door hidden behind a shelf in his workroom.
He had made sure only he could gain access to it, installing a keyless, secret code entry only known to him.
Elisabeth was manipulated by her father into thinking that the door was electrified, so that she would be killed if she tried to flee from the shocking abuse.
Describing how 24 years of horrific crimes began, Fritzl said: ‘The next morning, I filed a missing person report with the local gendarmerie.
‘The officer carefully logged everything and declared: “She’s over 18 and can do whatever she wants.”‘
Fritzl made Elisabeth write letters to her mother explaining that she needed time away from home, then posted them in faraway towns. He told neighbours she had run away to join a cult.
‘It wasn’t easy, because the thoughts of what I had done were constantly circling within me,’ he said.
‘I was constantly energised. There was no one I could confide in. I had to look ahead and continue on the path I had chosen.’
In 1984, Fritzl had rendered his own daughter, Elisabeth, unconscious with a rag soaked in ether and entombed her in an underground prison
Fritzl reveals how he carefully prepared his underground prison in his shocking new memoir
‘When I was away, I pushed away all my problems. Also, my secret. Everything was far, far away. Otherwise, I would have gone crazy!’ he added in the shock memoir.
‘Only sometimes when I was alone, gloomy thoughts haunted me. I immediately repressed them by distracting myself and thinking of something else…’
The abuse resulted in the birth of seven children – three of which remained in captivity with their mother. One died at the hands of Fritzl, a matter of days after being born. His disposed of the body in an incinerator.
The other three were brought up Fritzl and his wife, Rosemarie.
He would even take long vacations to places like Thailand, leaving his victims to deal with power cuts, rats, overflowing sewage and rotting food in their underground prison.
Fritzl also revealed he is proud to have fathered an adult son, who was conceived – according to him – during a secret affair with a Ghanaian woman who is now a respected lawyer.
By writing the book, Fritzl is seeking things he feels have been denied him: understanding, sympathy, perhaps – even though he does not put it into words – forgiveness.
He outlines potential plans to move back to Amstetten, Austria, and ‘perhaps set up a small business there’.
It comes after he recently submitted an application to be transferred to a normal prison. Austrian courts have rejected previous attempts to be moved to a lower-security prison.
Fritzl took long vacations to places like Thailand, leaving his victims to deal with power cuts, rats, overflowing sewage and rotting food in their underground prison
Fritzl spends most days alone with his TV and PC and grows vegetables in the prison garden. He is reportedly suffering from dementia
When Fritzl allowed Elisabeth out of the cellar to visit the hospital, the police were waiting (Pictured: Scene outside the house where Elisabeth was raped and held prisoner)
Fritzl, who changed his name to Mayrhoff six years ago, is now reportedly suffering from dementia.
But Wagner has claimed she saw no sign of illness: ‘No, this old man here is far from being a helpless old man. I felt energy. Willpower. Determination. No trace of dementia.’
The 59-year-old began visiting him at Stein and the resulting book, written by her, is an account of her impressions, interspersed with Fritzl’s own writings.
She says she is attracted to wicked men like him because she ‘has always been fascinated by what motivates such criminals’.
Another excerpt of the book quotes Fritzl as saying: ‘In reality, I’m a good person’, and states that the former electrical engineer cannot understand why his wife broke off contact with him.
Elisabeth now has a new identity, as do the six children she had alone in the darkness that was her home for 24 years.
She and the children have been resettled in a small Austrian village. The state paid £700,000 for a house guarded by a high fence and CCTV cameras.
Meanwhile Fritzl spends most days alone with his TV and PC. He grows vegetables in the prison garden.
