Fritzl incest victim may sue over media reports

Published on Sunday 6 July 2008 21:57

CELLAR incest victim Elisabeth Fritzl is threatening legal action against the police and her own doctors after learning at the weekend of the media reports about her plight.

She wrote a letter to authorities stating: "I require that no data or discussions about what took place in the cellar are passed on to any media.

"It must be the task of the state to prevent exposing that which the Fritzls endured. I want to live in freedom with my children."

Isolated from the media storm which broke when she and three of six children she had by her own father in a cellar dungeon underneath his home were freed in April, Elisabeth, 42, now realises the extent of the interest her case has drawn. The authorities have offered new identities to Elisabeth and her children.

Josef Fritzl, 74, is now in jail awaiting trial on numerous unspecified charges.

Eva Platz, her lawyer, said Elisabeth is "horrified" that police and other authorities have released so many details about her ordeal which contravenes Austria's Draconian personal privacy laws.

She said she will take "judicial steps" to prevent any more information about her plight being published.