Dr. Raoul Wagner, an eminent Viennese lawyer, warned that the charges have ‘little chance of working to keep Fritzl in jail for life’.
But Wagner says: ‘I am convinced that after six-and-a-half-years he will be free again. The murder charge has no chance as the body was allegedly burnt and the ashes scattered in the garden.
‘There is nobody and only Elisabeth’s word over the details.
‘The slavery charge has never been used since it was put on the books, and it does not really affect what happened here. He did not buy or sell his daugher in the slave trade, and the charges do not apply.
‘At the most the incest and rape charge apply, and as sentences run concurrently, the most he would face would be rape – which means seven-and-a-half years with good behaviour, which with the year already spent inside means in six-and-a-half years he could be released.
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Glenn Jericho on March 16, 2009 at 4:00 PM
60 years would be too soon. 6 years is insane.
SoulGlo on March 16, 2009 at 4:02 PM
Ah yes, the joys of an enlightened, European legal system. This monster must never breathe the air of a free man.
rbj on March 16, 2009 at 4:06 PM
Did anyone see family guy yesterday?
The town of quahog had no right to judge OJ Simpson because they weren’t nice sometimes.
Same thing applies here.
lorien1973 on March 16, 2009 at 4:08 PM
We’ll all be free in 6 years
DarkCurrent on March 16, 2009 at 4:11 PM
I think I’ll start a European vacation club in W VA.
marklmail on March 16, 2009 at 4:18 PM
At least in some states, if not all, we have sexually violent predator laws, where we can lock up in psych hospitals those who fall through the sentencing cracks.
Unfortunately, the liberals want to make us just like Europe. First it’s the attack on the death penalty/lwop/life sentences and than sentences based on recidivism. Rape and murder someone in Europe and you would serve 10-15 years.
Blake on March 16, 2009 at 4:19 PM
Is the aclu in Austria now?
L
letget on March 16, 2009 at 4:20 PM
So they don’t have any laws against kidnapping or imprisoning others? No laws about endangering children by keeping them in a dark cellar for over a decade? Seriously?
herrevery on March 16, 2009 at 4:20 PM
wtf?
patriette on March 16, 2009 at 4:21 PM
What? You want him to suffer longer, AP?
Esthier on March 16, 2009 at 4:37 PM
8 years of Obama? He wants us to be like Europe. Supreme Court picks? Keep yer fingers crossed.
a capella on March 16, 2009 at 4:37 PM
Obviously, not. And much longer than over a decade. The girl went in as a teen and came out in her 40s. So, when he is released, stick him down in the cellar, lock the door, turn the lights out, and forget about him.
Blake on March 16, 2009 at 4:40 PM
Judging and sentencing somebody according to law is a good thing. If it so happens that the laws didn’t account for such a terrible scenario then so be it. Better I say to let one man off lightly than to risk inflicting an unjustifiably severe punishment on many others.
Besides, six and a half years from now, if he doesn’t die before then, I suspect he could be begging to be allowed to stay safely in isolation in the prison. For him, a swift release is perhaps to be feared more than a life sentence. I doubt if any other country will give him a safe home, and Austria is a fairly small place for a man to hide from those who might wish him harm.
YiZhangZhe on March 16, 2009 at 4:44 PM
The only problem is that if the people lose faith in their own justice system, they will take matters into their own hands. That’s the only reason to even have a justice system, to prevent anarchy.
Esthier on March 16, 2009 at 4:47 PM
One, the prisons in Austria are very nice. Seriously. Two, there is no excuse for not having a sentencing scheme that punishes this behavior appropriately. Three, and no it’s not better to let one man off lightly. It is better to punish appropriately. Now his victims have to be looking over their shoulder all the time. At least when he is in custody they felt safe. He also raped other women in the area.
Blake on March 16, 2009 at 4:47 PM
Five Star Prisons
Blake on March 16, 2009 at 4:51 PM
Just because something is not explicitly illegal; doesn’t mean it’s legal. That’s the problem with law these days. Everything has to be too precise.
lorien1973 on March 16, 2009 at 4:52 PM
Look at the link I posted. The prisons in Austria are
luxurious.
Blake on March 16, 2009 at 4:55 PM
Yes, that is why I think he might be begging to stay in prison, in isolation.
The excuse is perhaps that nobody considered such a horrible crime and so the law doesn’t make provision for it. Making a law just because of this case would likely lead to a worse overall justice system.
And I doubt he will be trying to track down anybody, past victims or prospective ones. His face will be well known and a frail man isn’t going to want to show it anywhere for fear of being awarded a swift and brutal demise.
Staying in a “very nice” prison, with regular meals and counsellors available, will be his best possible option. Anybody who wants him to suffer should be hoping he is released tomorrow. The state might let the man off lightly, exactly as it should be according to law, but his society won’t let him off lightly and if he has any conscience still working then that is going to torture him too.
YiZhangZhe on March 16, 2009 at 5:06 PM
Great. he could start a new family.
TheSitRep on March 16, 2009 at 5:38 PM
You’re missing the point. No one is saying Fritzl won’t be sentenced in accordance with the law. The problem is that application of the law as it is written does not provide for adequate justice for victims of Fritzl’s truly horrific crimes. 7.5 years for numerous rapes that must be served concurrently is not sufficient.
patriette on March 16, 2009 at 5:56 PM
Bull. You have multiple rapes, false imprisonment, and incest of multiple victims. That’e forseeable. His case is unique because his own daughter and her children were victims and he got away with it for so long. How can you pose that a 7 1/2 year sentence for the crimes he is charged with is even close to just? In this country it would be life. Because a just sentence is one that punishes and protects the public. You can’t rehabilitate sex perverts.
How do you know? I would be surprised if the didn’t try to track down his family. Bottomline, his victims have the right to be safe and feel safe. And the man is a sexual sadist and rapist. Those drives don’t go away with age. We have plenty of our own old perverts who were released to rape and unfortunately murder again. And that is why our sentences were increased and they passed civil commitments on sexually violent predators if they are ever released from prison. In the 60s and 70s, our sentences were jokes because one, they didn’t take sex crimes against women and children seriously, and two, they had some boneheaded idea that these people can be cured. They can’t. And no, he’s not frail. And since his m.o. is to crawl through a window at night, his victims aren’t necessarily going to see his face. There is also the problem with him using prostitutes and assaulting them.
Oh, please! Who cares about his best option? It’s the innocent publics best option that should matter. Criminals are suppose to be punished, not coddled. No counseling is going to stop this man from being a sexual sadist. Counseling might help his depression. But, I want him to be depressed. His depression will be caused by his loss of power over people, that he can’t inflict pain and rape women and children like in the good old days.
As far as his society not letting him off lightly: This is a country that let’s off mass murderers. I’m sure he’ll be a celebrity.
Blake on March 16, 2009 at 6:01 PM
Ditto on the lack of kidnapping charges. WTH?
Danger to him on the outside aside, if someone did this to me I’d feel a lot safer with them locked away securely for the rest of their lives.
inviolet on March 16, 2009 at 6:04 PM
Argggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great. And I’m sure he’s already getting lots of fan mail from hybristophiliacs already.
Blake on March 16, 2009 at 6:06 PM
No such thing as multiple counts?
- The Cat
MirCat on March 16, 2009 at 6:36 PM
There is no such thing as a life sentence in Austria or Germany. Offenders, killers etc can only serve up to 18 years even if given life.
Urban Infidel on March 16, 2009 at 7:11 PM
So you believe that the needs of the actual victims are outweighed by the needs of a theoretical innocent? You believe that being put in jail wrongly is worse than what the victims go through in a situation like this? You believe that if a monster is punished harder than the law would normally allow, that will translate into many innocent people being likewise punished?
None of that makes sense. It is better for an innocent man to be found guilty once in awhile so that we also get the monsters. An innocent man is not a threat to anyone. But a monster is. After all, we punish all innocent air travelers just so that we don’t let a terrorist through. That policy is for public safety though it may seem unfair to the innocent individual who is wrongly searched and detained.
keep the change on March 16, 2009 at 7:26 PM