Rapist Josef Fritzl is a 'monster' who will never be let into Britain, says James Cleverly
Incestuous rapist Josef Fritzl is a âmonsterâ and will never be allowed into Britain, James Cleverly said on Monday.
The Home Secretary was responding to reports that Fritzl wanted to come to the UK if freed from detention.
He tweeted: âThis monster is never coming to our country.
âAny attempt to travel to the UK will be refused â as it would be for anyone convicted of serious sex offences like this.â
This monster is never coming to our country.
Any attempt to travel to the UK will be refused â as it would be for anyone convicted of serious sex offences like this. https://t.co/Nrax9Nc99Z— James CleverlyđŹđ§ (@JamesCleverly) March 25, 2024
Fritzl, 88, who has now changed his name to one that has not been made public, raped his daughter and held her captive for 24 years, fathering her seven children.
The case sparked revulsion around the world when it came to light in 2008 that he had been holding his daughter captive in a dungeon he secretly built under his house.
He has been in a prison for âmentally abnormalâ inmates since his conviction in 2009 for incest, rape, enslavement, coercion and the murder, by neglect, of his newborn son.
Now it has seemingly emerged that Fritzl has talked about his wish to come to the UK when he is no longer behind bars.
In a recent interview, he allegedly told of his interest in the âspectacular sceneryâ and âfantastic cultureâ of the UK after watching a documentary on Shakespeare.
He is said to have explained: âI was filled with this wonderful, uplifting feeling, this sense of inspiration for this fantastic culture.
âAnd it was then I knew that when I get released, it is not Austria I want to stay, rather I want to emigrate to the UK.
âAbove all, I want to explore the Scottish Highlands. For me, the lush green fields of Wales are also very, very appealing. But the main thing is â itâs to the United Kingdom that I am headed.â
An Austrian court said earlier this month that it had overturned a lower courtâs ruling Fritzl be transferred to regular prison from a prison psychiatric unit, but sent the case back to that court for a new decision.
He applied for a transfer to regular prison, arguing that as an elderly, frail man he no longer poses any threat.
From regular prison Fritzl would be able to submit a request to be released from prison altogether.
A court in the town of Krems an der Donau ordered the transfer in January, but prosecutors filed a complaint aimed at overturning that decision to the Vienna Higher Provincial Court.
âUnlike the court of first instance, the Vienna Higher Provincial Court came to the conclusion that the facts necessary for such a conditional release had not yet fully been established,â the Vienna court said in a statement.
It said it had overturned the decision of the lower court in Krems and ordered the lower court to establish more facts before reaching a fresh decision.
Fritzl is suffering from advancing dementia but he was able to follow the brief proceedings in January when his conditional release was ordered, his lawyer Astrid Wagner told reporters after that hearing.
âA supplement to the medical report and a new hearing of the detainee at the end of April were ordered,â a spokesman for the lower court in Krems said of the Vienna courtâs ruling.