© europics.at - EXCLUSIVE

21. 07. 09. - 13:15

• more Panorama news
• RSS Feed Panorama

21. 07. 09. - 13:15

Fatty Fritzl needs to go on a diet

By David Rogers

Prison doctors have advised incest monster Josef Fritzl to go on a diet after he piled on the pounds after refusing to exercise or do anything other than sitting in his cell staring at the walls since he was jailed for life in March.

Last month it was revealed that Fritzl was on the verge of a nervous breakdown after realising he was to spend the rest of his life in jail, and that he was showing early signs of dementia and memory loss after just a few weeks in Lower Austria's tough Stein jail where he is likely to die behind bars.

Before he was arrested, 74-year-old Fritzl had worked seven days a week carrying out all the maintenance himself on his property empire that included nine sites in and around his home in Amstetten which were rented out to local firms and private tenants. After his arrest he kept active working at his defence and hoping to realise plans to sell his life story.

But after weeks of inactivity and refusing to take up his exercise privileges, Fritzl has gained 12 kilos - and even the implanted hair which he spent a fortune on grooming has been falling out in large quantities leaving him badly balding.

Officials say Fritzl has been a broken man since he was forced to face his daughter Elisabeth in court and then changed his plea to guilty which resulted in a life sentence for incest, rape and the false imprisonment of his daughter and children. Since then he spends his days staring blankly at the walls, too scared to have contact with other inmates and doing little else other than eating.

Fritzl had planned to spend his days writing his memoirs but has been banned from writing them by the Austrian Justice Ministry. Now he spends his time alone in his cell, staring at blank pages with a pen in his hand, apparently at a loss to find anything to write. Also he has lost his desire to read newspapers and watch TV that filled his time as he prepared for his defence.

"He is a broken man," one insider was quoted as saying in the Austrian Times newspaper.

Austrian Times

Related articles: Fritzl

1. Fritzl fears murder plot

   » General News 2010-03-08

   Incest beast Josef Fritzl has had two prisoners transferred after he became convinced they were plotting to kill him, it has been claimed.

2. Fritzl's hair-raising pleas revealed

   » General News 2010-02-15

   Incest monster Josef Fritzl is begging his family for cash behind bars so he can afford special shampoo for his hair transplants.

3. Fritzl dungeon may be filled in

   » General News 2009-12-29

   The cellar prison in which incest beast Josef Fritzl held his daughter captive for 24 years may be filled in with concrete, it emerged today (Tues).

4. Fritzl may receive Christmas blessing

   » Panorama 2009-12-17

   Incest monster Josef Fritzl could be given a Christmas blessing from a local bishop, it has emerged.

5. Headline-hitting crime cases book by court reporter

   » Panorama 2009-11-10

   A veteran court reporter has released a book on Austria’s most spectacular crime cases of the past 20 years.

6. Fritzl not suicidal, shrink claims

   » General News 2009-11-03

   Incest monster Josef Fritzl will not commit suicide because he wants to "take responsibility" for his crimes, a leading psychiatrist has claimed.

7. 'Second Fritzl case' in Lower Austria

   » General News 2009-10-21

   A 60-year-old Lower Austrian has been arrested after his daughters claimed he molested them for years.

8. Rammstein reportedly sing about Fritzl case

   » Panorama 2009-10-16

   German scandal rock band Rammstein is set to cause controversy again as a new song allegedly deals with the incest case of Amstetten.

9. 'Croatia's Josef Fritzl' worked in Austria

   » General News 2009-10-15

   A man dubbed the "Croatian Josef Fritzl" has worked for an Austrian company, it has emerged.

10. ORF London correspondent on 'Brown-bashing' and reactions to 'Austrian cellar stories'

    » Panorama 2009-10-09

    The ORF’s UK correspondent has revealed why working in the "city jungle" of London is like a dream come true for her.

'Sudoku Day' in Vienna this Sunday
Around 1,500 people are expected to take part in Sunday’s "Sudoku Day" competition in Vienna.

Bosnian minister calls for Austrian investments
Bosnia-Herzegovina's Minister of Communications and Transport Rudo Vidovic has invited Austrian investors to play a bigger role in the Balkan country.

Vienna to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with cultural festival
Vienna will celebrate the 17 March St. Patrick’s Day this year with a 20 March parade on the Ringstraße and eight cultural events from 13 to 24 March, it was announced today (Fri).

Salzburg flight school is bankrupt
Salzburg flight school Flight Track Trainings GmbH entered bankruptcy proceedings today (Fri), the Alpine Land Creditors Association (AKV) reported.

Robber fails to be taken seriously
A 29-year-old drunk became a laughing stock after failing to rob a Spar supermarket and a Bank Austria (BA) branch yesterday (Thurs) afternoon, police said.

Austrian Peter Löscher named top-earning German company boss
An Austrian has been named as the best paid CEO among German companies listed by the country’s stock market index DAX in "crisis year" 2009.

Job anxiety slowly ebbing
Austrians’ anxiety about losing their jobs has been slowly ebbing, according to results of a new poll by Linz public-opinion research firm Spectra released today (Fri).

Blown-up explosives factory to reopen
The Austin Powder GmbH emulsion explosives factory that blew up on 11 March 2008 is going to reopen this April, according to firm chief Wolfgang Schuster.

Nurse goes loopy at Linz General Hospital
A nurse ran amok yesterday (Thurs) at Linz General Hospital (AKH), attacking her instructor after failing a further education course for the third consecutive time, police said.

Car fuel prices lower than the EU average
The prices of petrol and diesel-fuel in Austria are lower than the EU average, the Economics Ministry said today (Fri).