Fritzl admits rape, denies murder

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Josef Fritzl arrives at court for his trial

Josef Fritzl, accused of imprisoning his daughter and fathering her children, has pleaded guilty to rape and incest but not guilty to murder.

The Austrian is accused of the murder by neglect of one of his daughter's children. He also denied enslavement.

Earlier TV pictures showed the 73-year-old enter the courtroom with his face concealed by a blue file. He refused to answer journalists' questions.

The trial, in the city of St Poelten, is attracting intense media interest.

Mr Fritzl is alleged in 1984 to have lured his daughter into a cellar with windowless soundproofed chambers beneath their house and then raped her repeatedly.

The daughter and three of her seven children were kept captive in the cellar until the case came to light in April last year when one of the children became seriously ill and was taken to hospital.

No-fly zone

Escorted by six policemen and dressed in a grey suit, Mr Fritzl made the short walk down the corridor from his cell to the courtroom, where journalists tried unsuccessfully to question him before the judges arrived.

Speaking in a weak voice, Mr Fritzl gave the judges his name and other personal details.

An estimated 200 journalists are in St Poelten for the trial.

However, fewer than 100 were allowed inside the courthouse, and camera crews and photographers were told by judges to leave shortly after the trial started.

Mr Fritzl put down the blue folder only after they had gone, Reuters news agency reported.

A no-fly zone has been imposed above the courthouse to prevent news crews using helicopters to get aerial shots.

Mr Fritzl has been held in custody in St Poelten since his arrest nearly a year ago.

Testimony

Prosecutors say Mr Fritzl is guilty of murder through neglect in the case of one of the children, a boy twin, who died shortly after birth.

All evidence in the trial is due to be given behind closed doors, with no press or public present, out of concern for the privacy of the family.

The evidence includes hours of pre-recorded testimony given by the daughter at the centre of the case.

Edited details of the day's proceedings will then be released to the press each afternoon.

The trial is predicted to last just a week, with a verdict expected on Friday.